Immortal Brutality
by TaelorTot
Summary: Hellboy is sent out to track down an old friend whose after the philosopher's stone along with threat of an ancient assasination cult who's after her as they all try to solve the mystery of where the stone's been hidden. Join us. Rated T.
1. Prologue

**Immortal Brutality**

* * *

Prologue

Manhattan, New York August 18th, 1951

Alice Babik didn't like the big city. She didn't have anything against the towering sky-scrappers, the busy lifestyles of it inhabitants or economic differences she was familiar with; she just didn't like the big city. And yet she found herself standing in front of one New York's busiest hotels, the Plaza with her suitcase, a file and police tape plastered behind her separating her and the Plaza from the inquisitive reporters pestering the police with questions.  
A woman standing 5'9 alone without the help of her four-inch red heels, wearing cream and red pin-striped slacks and matching tailored jacket with her newly-dyed raven hair pinned in a poodle-curl, she was a site to see even in the big city but the current events at the Plaza had overshadowed her arrival. A bit annoyed by the current state of disorder, Alice strolled through the doors into the main hall of the Plaza where various cops stood around waiting patiently as three important gentlemen exited the elevator. Heads finally turned when the shortest of the three men spotted her and called waving his arm, "Ah! Ms. Babik!"

Professor Bruttenholm greeted Alice in his usual British manner with a peck on her right hand and taking her suitcase before she smiled with rouge lips, "It's good to see you to Dr. Bruttenholm."  
"Who's this?" asked a larger man walking over with his chief of police badge pinned high on his broad chest.

Alice looked up narrowing her eyes instinctively at the man in front of her. Another stereotypic-tough arrogant guy stereotyping her as a clever, know-it-all feminist. Luckily, both were correct.  
"Sorry sweetheart but no reporters are allowed on _these_ premises." Said the man waiting for her to shoo.  
Alice folded her arms stepping forward, "I'm sorry to tell you this sir but I am not reporter; I am here with the Bureau."

The man looked over to his friend then professor Bruttenholm, "Who is this?"  
"Chief Warren this is Agent Alice Babik—the Bureau's finest field agent to date. She will be taking over from here tracking down the beast in the sewers."  
Chief Warren grinned maliciously, "The sewers of Manhattan? In a suit? Do you think you can handle it, sweetheart?"  
Alice frowned choosing to ignore the chief and began to study her perfect cuticles, "I'll do it without breaking a nail."  
Chief Warren glared at Alice as he spoke, "Well Professor Bruttenholm we'll leave Manhattan's fate… in the hands of you and _Ms. Babik_."

The Chief of Police signaled his men to leave the crime scene, Alice waited until they were out of the building before expressing herself, "What an asshole."  
"Ignore his crabbiness Alice we have more urgent things to attend to. Forgive my swiftness while I talk but time is running against us now. Please, follow me."

Professor Bruttenholm spoke rapidly as he led the way into the authorized employee areas of the hotel, "Around 4:38 P.M. yesterday a man by the name of Jean Desmarais checked into the Plaza without a reservation for a presidential suite. He had at least twelve pieces of luggage but the largest was a cage snuck in by two hired thugs through the back up nine floors into his suite. Around 11 that night screaming and unidentified noises were heard from Desmarais' suite and complaints followed before a hotel manager was sent to see what was going on around 2:15 A.M. The manager has said he went to the suite and that the front door had been ripped from it hinges with large claw marks in the center. The manager stepped in to find Desmarais and an unidentified woman torn into gory shreds. He went downstairs to call for the police but of course the beast had already found its way into the kitchens where it killed eight chefs and three employees.  
It was last seen running into the streets of Manhattan where it fell down an open storm drain. That was in the wee hours of the morning. It is already 9 A.M. and God only knows what kind of damage this thing has caused. We've sent search dogs down there to pick up a scent but they're too scared to go past 44th Street so we know its defiantly resting there." Explained the professor.

"What is defiantly resting there Trevor." Alice asked, "You never told me what this thing is."  
Professor Bruttenholm stopped at the double-doors in front of them with a somber expression, "You've seen a handful of gruesome scenes Alice. You tell me what this thing is."

Professor Bruttenholm pushed the doors open to reveal the kitchens and the dead turn bodies on the floor. Blood splats were on the walls and utensils, the bodies were ripped and disfigured by what looked like teeth marks and claws. Alice flinched closing her eyes to control herself from vomiting before stepping into the scene with her professional poise. Investigators from the Bureau were already there looking for whatever they could find under the mess of blood and flesh. Alice walked over to one particular man wearing a tawny suit studying an Asian female lying facedown on her own gastrointestinal tract.  
"What do you think it is Jerry?" Alice asked.  
The man looked up, stone-faced with his hair swept back and dazzling blue-eyes, "I say it's gotta be a werewolf."

Alice could not hold back a chuckle as she placed her hands on her hips, "Well Jerry the suspect's body is upstairs ripped to shreds."  
Jerry hunched wiping his hands on his handkerchief as he stood up to greet her.  
"Jeez, Alice can you get anymore taller in those things?" Jerry asked grinning, "And your hair…"  
"Do you like it?"  
"I preferred the blonde color cause' you reminded me of Marilyn, babe." Jerry said with laugh. Alice gave a haughty laugh as the Professor joined them, "I think it's a hybrid of a dog, coyote, and wolf."

"Sounds serious Trevor." Jerry mused.  
"Well that's what Desmarais has written on some of his lab testing sheets. He was defiantly a scientist. He came from France to show this thing off on the Ed Sullivan show. Too bad he did not accomplish that." Professor Bruttenholm said with a sigh, "It is often the greatest minds who mess with the balance of nature."  
"So who's the unlucky guy going down there to kill this thing?" Jerry questioned.

"Me of course." Alice hummed smiling. Jerry frowned placing his hand in his pocket, "Are you serious, love?"  
"Don't call me that." Alice said in a low whisper, "And yes. I am the Bureau's finest field agent."

Jerry continued to frown then addressed the Professor, "Are you serious Trevor? Sending Alice down there to do a man's job?"  
"It's not my call. They said send the best so I am."  
Jerry looked to the Professor then at Alice, "Well I don't care what they say she ain't going down there in no sewer chasing after a killing werewolf." Jerry shouted before storming out of the kitchens. Alice rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I just wanna tell him Trevor, but when he says stuff like that—"  
"I understand Alice." Professor Bruttenholm said, "But I have a surprise for you."

Professor Bruttenholm gestured her to follow him to the back of the kitchen area. Here, there were no dead bodies or blood; it was completely clean and normal except for the large red demon sitting on the sink reading. He didn't notice them when they came in but it gave Alice a scare as she grabbed for her gun in her jacket-pocket but the Professor stopped her.  
"Do you remember the little secret I said the Bureau didn't want to get out?" the Professor asked.  
Alice nodded, "Yeah."  
"Well, besides you this is him—Hellboy."

Alice studied the red brute that sat before with a childlike smile on his face. Alice was well aware that the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense had fundamentally been designed around one thing: the demon from the Nazi Project Ragna Rok that the professor had adopted and relocated to a base in New Mexico. Even in the Bureau he was kept hush-hush but as a field operative Alice had heard the rumors about the demon but didn't think much of it since she had seen her share of demons and clairvoyant creatures way before the Bureau was created. In fact she cared very little about it but now that she was seeing him for the first time she was very curious.  
"The government did not want me to bring him along but he insisted." Professor Bruttenholm whistled, "I think he's going to follow in my footsteps."  
"What's he reading?" Alice asked.  
"You file?"  
"My file?"  
"Yes, your file."  
"When did I get a file? I haven't had a file in centuries."  
"I took the time to make you one seeing that you're well… an antique of some sort with knowledge of legends and individuals that we can only read about now. I'm sure one day you will want to sit-down and discuss your many adventures through the centuries, when you're ready of course."  
Alice rolled her eyes, "_Yeah like that'll ever happen_."  
Hellboy then looked up from his reading with curious eyes. At the ripe age of 6, Hellboy already stood a towering 6'5 with little to no scars and childlike expression on his face. It seemed his horns had been filed down but had grown into uneven stubs since his last visit to the barber had his large right stone hand was glistening like marble. He stood up to greet the Professor and Alice with enthusiasm, his voice had yet to reach the deep baritone rumble it would be in later years but it was somewhere near it, "Good morning father. Good morning Ms. Babik."

"Good morning Hellboy." Professor Bruttenholm replied and looked over at Alice who was gawking. She finally stopped after five seconds and nodded in response, "Hello."  
"Alice this is Agent Hellboy." Professor Bruttenholm introduced, "He will be accompanying you down in the sewers."  
Alice looked at the professor, "Oh no. I don't need any help killing this thing."

Hellboy frowned at the rejection as Professor Bruttenholm laughed awkwardly patting Alice on the shoulder, "She is just kidding Hellboy. Here, Alice. Can I speak with you privately?"  
Professor Bruttenholm ushered her around the corner speaking in a whisper, "Alice you must take him."  
"What? I'm not a babysitter Trevor and besides I can take care of myself. Don't you know who I am?"  
"Yes I do and that is exactly why I am asking you take him along. He's going to replace you when you leave." Professor Bruttenholm replied. Alice gasped at the professor and looked around to see if anyone heard him, "How did you know I'm planning to leave Trevor?"

Professor Bruttenholm's face was like stone, "You told me four years ago Alice when I found you in Greece that you began to change when you feel you're getting attached to something or somebody. That's why you're wearing suits and dying your hair a darker color. You're going to disappear without a trace and we'll never see you again."  
Alice looked around for some inspiration to lie to her friend but she couldn't, "Ok… so you're right."  
she took a deep breathe to keep from crying and bit into her lip, "Trevor you've been a good friend of mine since they day we met and you know me better than anyone here. Yes, I was planning to put in my resignation after this mission to go and marry Jerry but I'm getting cold feet! I can't marry this man! He's a mortal and you what mortals do Trevor."  
"We grow old, we grow sick. We die."

"And he doesn't _know about_ me. What do you think he'll say in forty years when he's grey and wrinkled and I still look twenty-five? I can't do it Trevor, it's not worth the pain."  
"So you're going to just leave?"  
"That's what I've been doing for centuries and I can't let the Bureau stop me. If I stay I won't be happy."  
Professor Bruttenholm took Alice by the hand and kissed it.

"Then you have my blessing dear." Professor Bruttenholm said, "If you must leave to keep your sanity then do it. I will tell no one."  
"Thanks."  
"And what about Jerry?"  
Alice hunched, "Jerry will be okay besides, _gentlemen prefer blondes_."  
Professor Bruttenholm smiled patting her hand, "But you will take him along with you down in the sewers, right, and show him the ropes? He's already accompanied me on a few missions within the last two years and he's smart and well-trained Alice but I have a feeling that he'll be great if he just trains with the best."  
"Yeah I get you Trevor and you're right… when I'm gone you'll need someone to watch your back." Alice said wiping the tears from her eyes, "So I guess we should be heading down there now before this thing eats someone else?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Hehehe, yeah i know... this one's out of the freakin blue. Been uber busy. Dislikes school a lot. Going to be working on this story, two more Hellboy comic-fics and my one about Edward all week since it is Thanksgiving Holiday. Rar, rar, Pilgrims!  
Reviews, please.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

* * *

"So…" Hellboy hummed, "You're immortal?"  
Alice stopped mid-step to turn around and gaze at him. She stared some time with a blank expression before it turned sour, "no shit Sherlock."  
"Sorry." Hellboy said baffled and embarrassed, "I'm just excited…"  
"Excited about what, kid?"  
"Meeting someone immortal."  
"Really?" Alice said stepping high to avoid dragging her heels in sewer juice, "It seems you haven't done a lot with your life."  
"I'm only six." Hellboy replied.  
"Damn."  
"Damn what?"  
"You're a big six year old." Alice replied before shushing him.  
A gurgling sound echoed on the sewer walls from a slimmer corridor. Alice pulled out her pistol and turned to Hellboy, "Look kid, I know Trevor wanted you to tag along so you can help me kill this thing but I got it. You sit back and take notes."  
Hellboy frowned unsure if he should be offended or flattered.  
"I wanna help Miss Babik."  
"Please call me Alice."  
Hellboy continued, "I've killed creatures of the paranormal before."  
"You're only six."  
"So?"  
"I'm like old enough to be your grandmother then add several hundred greats added beforehand. Just shut up and do what I say."  
Hellboy grunted pulling out his own pistol just in case. Alice studied it before cracking a smile, "What the hell are you going to do with that puny revolver?"  
"Bite me." Hellboy said rolling his eyes as Alice laughed.

"Hey when you get back to New Mexico ask the guys in artillery to make you a gun that matches your size and will fit in your purse next to your tampons." Alice laughed waving her own gun side to side.  
"You're mean."  
"Ah, don't mind me kid I'm poking fun at you." Alice said turning the corner. The slimmer corridor she thought she heard the noise come from was empty. Alice placed her free hand on her hip, "Dammit. Another empty one."  
"So what's this thing look like?" Hellboy asked.  
"I don't know. But from what it did to those people's bodies—it's got to be at least six feet."  
"Or bigger."  
Alice looked over her shoulder, "I can still handle it. No worries. Come on."

Alice nudged Hellboy out of the way as she continued to lead. They then came to an intersection where the sewage was particularly raw in smell and bubbly in sight.  
"Ew." Alice said instinctively holding her nose, "What the hell IS THAT?!"  
"Sewage. We are in the sewer." Hellboy said factually.  
"Oh shut up!" Alice said holding her nose and stepping around to the right corner. She peeked seeing nothing but darkness then turned left to see the same thing.  
"Left or right kid?"  
"My instincts say left."  
"Then we head right."  
Hellboy frowned at her, "I don't want to be disrespectful Miss Babik but I'm an agent of the Bureau just like you and I think my opinions shouldn't be taken so lightly in a situation like this."

Alice peeked over her shoulder, "So you want your opinions to count, huh, newbie? I got an answer for that: Seniority rules. That's the end of it. I've been here longer than any other field operative and I'm not gonna let some large red six year old tell me what to do! You hear me?"

Hellboy frowned at her until Alice turned back around, "Now are you gonna sit there pouting or follow me?" Hellboy followed reluctantly behind Alice for another four miles.

After taking many turns left, right, left right and down into a deeper tunnel, Alice gave up and took out a carton of cigarettes.  
"That's It." she said bitterly, "We're right under 44th street—can go any lower. Where the hell is this thing?"  
"Perhaps it took a detour." Hellboy said, "I can't smell anything in the air here… accept sewage of course."  
"No we need to keep looking." Alice said lighting up a cigarette, "Keep on till you find something. That's one of my rules kid. Never give up. That's what makes you a dependable operative when everyone else wants to call it a day and you don't stop till the job's done."  
Hellboy nodded like a small school child and turned around to scribble that wise information down on a notepad he carried. Alice inhaled her cigarette calmly and released all while Hellboy watched in awe.  
"What are those?"  
"Cigarettes."  
"Neat. Can I have one?"  
"No you'll catch cancer or something like that." Alice warned, "Don't smoke."  
"So it's bad for you?"  
"Yes very bad."  
"Then why do you do it?"  
"Because I can't die."  
"So you smoke?"  
"Take advantage of a situation if you can." Alice mused dropping the used cigarettes in the crap being carried off by the disgusting river of sewage. She began to light another as low growls were heard approaching.  
Hellboy squinted down the tunnel trying to see what it was. He turned on his flashlight but the darkness seemed to swallow it whole.  
"I think _it_ found us." Hellboy whispered. Alice didn't seem to take notice or care as she carefully lit her second cigarette, finished and went for her third.

"It's coming." Hellboy said bending his knees. He drew he gun out again ready to attack. Alice looked at him amused as Hellboy waited.

Out of the dark tunnel a massive wolf standing several feet higher than Alice and Hellboy tromped forward hunching his back to fit through the opening. His muzzle was sodden in blood meaning it had found another victim. His claws were bared with long nails protruding untrimmed as his long teeth were bared with red eyes. He spotted the flashlight's beam of light and let out a terrifying howl.  
"That's a warg." Alice said knowingly.  
"A what?"  
"An ancient nasty wolf!" Alice said throwing her cigarette in the sewage river. The warg slowly went down on all fours but he was still bigger and even scarier in his present position. He tromped slowly towards them then began to pick up speed.  
"Fire Ms. Babik?" Hellboy asked alert, "Fire? Alice! Fire!"

"Do what you want kid!" Alice screamed charging towards the beast. Hellboy couldn't believe what he was seeing as he heard a loud thud; Alice had left hooked the beast in its muzzle. The warg hit its head against the stone wall cracking it slightly as it fell.  
Alice backed off keeping her fists up and it was only seconds later before it charged again. This time Alice had timed it out and in the blink of an eye Alice had thrown another punch knocking the warg into the sewage river. He fell backwards splashing sewage juices everywhere even on Alice's suite.

Alice let out a frustrated scream as she looked herself up and down, "I just had this tailored yesterday!"  
Hellboy stood stunned poising like a street cop. Alice wiped some slime off her pants legs seeing the rumbling bubbles under the surface of the water.

"Come on out!" Alice shouted.

With that the warg soared out of the water and pounced upon Alice. He knocked her over burying his claws into her chest. Alice shrieked seizing the warg's wrist using all her strength to pull his claws out of her. She jabbed her heels in his stomach causing him to burp. Finally Alice kicked off of her and rolled backwards and standing up waiting for his charge. He came flying at her this time but Alice caught him by his muzzle and closed his mouth. It was an odd sight to see. A petite female with small hands holding the jaws of a 400 pound warg shut with little to no effort. The warg tried fighting back but Alice forced it down on all fours. It was a power struggle; the warg was trying to knock Alice off as Alice tried force its head into the concrete floor.

"Hellboy!" Alice scream, "I gotta plan! Smash this thing's brains out?"  
"Its brains?"  
"Out! NOW!"  
"Now?"  
Hellboy ran over and aimed his arm over the beast's head. He swung his arm down hard on the creature's head and heard a loud crack. The warg stopped moving and all his weight fell forward as Alice continued to holding his jaws shut. Hellboy lifted his arm and saw the bloody imprint in the wolf's scalp as brains and blood began to seep up. Alice released its mouth and it fell lifeless.  
Hellboy held his arm up higher unsure what to do next as Alice caught her breathe messaging her hands. Her suit was beyond repair, her hair was now tangled, her make-up smeared in sweat and the rest of her body, cut up by claws. She was bleeding, very little from having 12 inch claws forced throw her chest cavity and by the damage down from a warg she should've had internal bleeding from major arteries but Alice laughed off.

"Kid don't worry." Alice said nonchalantly leaning against the sewer walls, "I'm okay. Have you forgotten already: I'm kinda immortal?"  
She began to chuckle to lighten up his mood, "You did a real good job kid. Really good. Handled this situation well. Wouldn't mind working with you again."  
"Really Alice?" Hellboy asked excitedly.  
Alice stopped smiling realizing what she had just said, "Yeah but um for now—we better get back up to the surface and clean off. Hey, I got an idea. You ever seen New York city before kid?"  
"Nope. Only in magazines."  
"How about it take you around town and show you sky scrappers and all the hot spots around here?"  
"Are you sure my father wouldn't mind?"  
"We'll play hooky." Alice grinned taking Hellboy by his hand.

* * *

Alice and Hellboy quickly found a sewage drain large enough for Hellboy to squeeze through. They were downtown Manhattan and it was around noon. Alice, smelling of sewage with a ripped suit quickly ditched her clothing and found a second hand shop and bought some old red dress. She found some shoes and a fountain in the park as bystanders stared in disbelief at Hellboy staring in the opposite direction of a half naked Alice showering in the fountain. Alice then found them a taxi willing to take them to Coney Island Beach.

The skies were clear with a few clouds and the sun was out warming the blue waters as little kids splashed and played in the golden sand. The Thunderbolt sat in the skyline with screams coming from carts as it went up and down; the Wonder Wheel was full of older couples enjoying their day out as the boardwalk held its seniors sitting on benches feeding gulls and pigeons. Alice led the way being on Coney beach several times as Hellboy looked around in awe.  
"I'm assuming you don't get out much when you're in New Mexico?" Alice asked.  
"No." Hellboy said, "I gotta stay on the base at all times unless father takes me overseas with him."  
"Shame they're hiding you like that." Alice said nonchalantly taking in the sunrays. By now the cuts and bruises she had received no more than an hour ago were healing at unbelievable speeds. They only looked like mismatched scabs, scabs she said would soon shed and she'd have a new fresh layer of skin.

"You don't mind me asking Alice but um… how long have you been alive?" Hellboy whispered.

Alice looked up at him, "Why I think that isn't any of your business kid." Hellboy frowned and turned his head away like a chastised child, "But I'll give you a hint. I was there when Cesar was assassinated… I was there to witness the Renaissance… I was there when Marie Antoinette's head rolled away… I was there when indoor plumbing was introduced."  
"Wow." Hellboy said in disbelief as Alice took out her pack of smokes and placed one delicately between her forefinger and middle finger. Hellboy was intrigued by the little white rolled up tobacco sticks that Alice took her sweet ass time to light and smoke.  
"Are you sure smoking's bad for you?"  
"Yes very bad you'll catch cancer and die from it in a month."  
"So anyone can catch cancer?"  
"Sure if you're smoking while you walk you can."  
Hellboy blinked confused as Alice smirked to herself.  
"Can I just try one?"  
"No." Alice said more sternly, "So what do you want to do with the rest of your day off?"

Hellboy looked around on the beach and at the stalls and boutiques lined up on the boardwalk. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, "Well um… shouldn't we call my father first? He could be worried."  
"We're playing hooky! Shush!" Alice said patting him on his arm, "Here let me ask this gentleman what he'd suggest we see with our spare time."

A large square Italian man with a fat head and rounded shoulders turned around in his booth to scowl but the flame in his eyes were extinguished at the sight of Hellboy.  
"Excuse me sir." Alice said leaning on his stall, "Me and my friend here want to be entertained this quiet afternoon. What do you suggest we go see?"  
The Italian gentleman looked at Hellboy directly startled by him and couldn't talk. Alice frowned and suddenly lashed over the counter pulling the man's face towards hers like a mother with their child.  
"We want Entertainment. Now."

The Italian blinked returning to his senses and cleared his throat, "Nothing's going on here on the Boardwalk today. Maybe a few freak shows but that's about it."  
"Freak shows?"  
"Yeah. You know the ones. Straight from Europe. Usually some whack job veterans from the World War II. Pretty sad really—all of em are usually deformed Japs from that Hiroshima bombing but eh, hey! This is America. No one cares."  
Alice glared at the Italian but didn't feel the need to reply, "Thanks."

She took Hellboy by the hand and led the way down the Boardwalk where this so-called freak show was settled.  
"Freak show?" Hellboy asked, "What are Freaks?"  
Alice didn't like the word _freak_. Neither did she like people using it to describe others with disabilities. She bit her tongue, toning down the message she was about to send to the young innocent Hellboy: "Something me and you are Hellboy. Unique."  
Hellboy blinked unsure how to respond.  
"Kid this is your first time dealing with people outside that base. In that base they are officials with no right to say what they want to cause that's their job. Out here they are stupid and reckless people who aren't afraid to call you something mean when they don't understand you, okay?"  
Hellboy nodded unsure if Alice was beating around the bush with her answer.  
"It's something you'll learn when you're older. Believe me."

* * *

A colossal circus tent with white and red vertical stripes stood in the horizon flapping lightly in the breeze. A flag perched high up top danced in the gentle wind as people began to crowd inside for the one o'clock show. Around the tent were smaller ones and stalls with cotton candy, peanuts and other sweet fatty treats were being sold. At one stall a loud rambunctious man stood shouting for kids to throw coins to the bearded lady. Immediately Hellboy became excited and Alice gave him a couple of bucks to go and get himself something. Alice got in line behind a happy couple with their four year old son named Billy.

Billy was a happy kid, Alice could tell. Holding both his parents hands as the swung him up and down to keep him patiently Little Billy laughed bringing more color to his rosy cheeks and asked sweetly, "What kind of freaks will we be seeing momma?"  
"Oh all kinds dear." Said the scarlet haired woman, "I heard they have a four armed man!"  
"You sure he won't be scared dear?" asked the father.  
"Course not. His father is a War Hero, yes?" said the woman smiling and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek.  
Alice rolled her eyes as Little Billy laughed and asked if he could go and throw another coin at the bearded woman.

Alice bit into her lip rethinking the idea that she should take someone like Hellboy to see a show like this. It would be exposure to what unfairness life can bring but was the big guy ready for that? He was only six. He had never been off the base before in the **REAL** world and he was in public for once and people were staring and weren't saying anything but how long would it take Hellboy to realize he was considered a freak by those who he tried to protect? This predicament puzzled Alice as she wondered if they should just walk up and down the boardwalk and call Bruttenholm to come pick them up. Besides, Hellboy wasn't her responsibility. It should be Bruttenholm telling him the woes of his existence. Still… with her being immortal she felt they had a connection of being outsiders; Hellboy just didn't know it yet.

"I got you some blue cotton candy."  
Alice looked up to see Hellboy standing right next to her stuffing his glob with peanuts.

A woman behind them let out a shrill shriek then covered her mouth.  
Hellboy looked at her funny but redirected his attention to Alice, "And some peanuts. Do you like peanuts?"  
"Yeah I do. Thanks." Alice said taking a bag. "Hey Hellboy how about we go and keep walking down the boardwalk? I'm pretty sure we can find some rides suitable for your height."  
Hellboy grimaced at Alice, "But I wanted to see the Freak Show."  
"No you don't." Alice said as nicely as she could, "C'mon. We'll have more fun somewhere else."  
Alice took Hellboy by his left arm and felt him becoming warmer. She rolled her eyes instinctively as his tail wagged dog-like while she led them away from the line.

"And where are you going my pretty?"  
Alice and Hellboy turned around seeing a tall slender gentleman dressed from head to toe in a purple and gold Torero outfit with white and black striped socks, and black character shoes. Hellboy couldn't help his wide grinning as he started chuckling loudly; Alice frowned at the man placing her hand on her hip, "Excuse me?"  
"I meant where are you headed milady because if you leave now you will miss my show." Said the man in a calm, seductive tone.

If it was not for his odd attire Alice would have noticed first-off his charming looks. The gentleman before her had a handsome shaven face except for his rugged chin covering the small dimple. He reminded Alice of that actor her friend Sophie liked so much, Charlton Heston and suddenly Alice felt her own body temperature growing higher.  
Alice stared him in his dark eyes as he smiled flashing his pearlies, "C'mon miss I was just poking fun at you."  
"And who are you, again?" Alice asked.  
The gentleman rolled his shoulders back standing up straight, "I'm Galileo Sweeney owner and ringmaster of the Sweeney Wonder Freak Show and Co."  
"_Of course_," Alice thought, "_he's the ringmaster. Why couldn't I look at his outfit and tell."_

"We don't want to see your show." Alice heard Hellboy say, "We're going somewhere else."  
"Perhaps we should see what um… Mr. Sweeney has in store for us, and then maybe, we'll see his show." Alice quickly said to Hellboy then directed her attention back to Sweeney.

He smiled, "of course miss. Let me name them off. The Bearded Woman, the Four Armed Man, the Midget Dumplings of 8, The Great One Eyed Wonder Who Can See Through Clothes—"  
"And that's exactly why we are not interested in your show Mr. Sweeney." Alice said, "I have no interest in seeing you exploit those with disabilities in your sick circus."  
Hellboy nodded, "Amen." And directed Alice in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Galileo called, his European accent seeping out, "I wasn't finish… we also have a few exhibits that are in the back for those who pay extra."  
"Oh! Like throwing coins at a hairy lady isn't demeaning at all?" Alice asked.  
"No not those—" said Galileo, "I meant… things of the unordinary. Supernatural things."  
Both Hellboy and Alice's ears perked up. "What kinds of things?" Hellboy asked.  
"Oh just shrunken heads, voo-doo spell books, amulets, werewolf claws… just about anything you can think of."  
"It's a scam." Hellboy said. "Just a scam."  
"Well I can assure sir that it's…"  
"It's a scam." Hellboy said a bit more gruffly. He pulled Alice toward him in a protective way.  
"He has a point Mr. Sweeney. None of these things sound interesting." Alice agreed and this time she began to walk off faster but Galileo had one more trick up his sleeve.  
"Wait! I also have the Philosopher's Stone!" Galileo shouted.

Alice stopped dead in her tracks. She stopped walking so sudden that she jerked Hellboy back as those words bounced in her head: _"The Philosopher's Stone".  
_She turned around seeing Galileo eyeing her and she abruptly walked back to him. Her eyes were wide and her throat parched. Galileo noticed he had her full attention and smiled drawing out a gun from his holster.  
There were a few surprised shrieks from those watching from the sidelines as Galileo put the pistol in his mouth, "I will now attempt to shoot myself and prove that I Galileo Sweeney do have the real Philosopher's Stone."  
There was a brief applause but he didn't have Hellboy fooled.  
"Oh really?" he asked, "Let's see it."  
"Of course," Galileo said smugly putting the gun down, "Anything for the big red baboon."  
Someone in the crowd sniggled but everything stopped when Galileo pulled out a necklace hidden tightly under his ruffled shirt. It was nothing more than a jagged emerald knotted on some brown hemp string. Hellboy snarled cocking his head to the side, "You really think these people are going to believe that's the Philosopher's Stone?"

"As some of _you_ may not know!" Galileo yelled turning to the crowd, "The legend of the Philosopher's Stone! Created many centuries ago to turn any material to gold and to give its holder immortal life! Today, I am the present owner and I present to you an appetizer of its power! Watch and be amazed!"  
Galileo turned back around to face Alice whose face was now flushed.

Alice knew well of the Philosopher's Stone… how could she not? It was created to give immortality to mortals but if someone like her, it had the opposite effect. She could age… she could die. And she knew it was the real thing… it had to be… the power, aura coming from the stone. She wanted to reach out for it, take it and run away to a safe place and study it.

"Here madam." Said Galileo handing her the pistol, "Shoot me."  
This made Alice clock back into reality as she held the pistol dumbfounded. Galileo took a few steps back and spread his arms and legs with a smirk, "I'm ready when you are milady."  
"Shoot you? I'm not going to shoot you."  
"Why not? If you believe in the power of the stone no harm will be done to me!"  
"Are you serious? I could kill you with this!"  
"But I am immortal when I wear this. Guns, swords, death… it does not scare me!"  
The crowd oh-ed in astonishment as Galileo egged Alice on.  
"No." Alice said, "I'm not shooting you."  
"Here let's raise the bargain." Galileo said, "How about if you shoot me and when I get up—WHEN I get up—I take you on a date to Sardi's, naturally because that's where the stars go beautiful… and you, might I say, Miss Myrna Loy, are gorgeous."  
The crowd did a romantic ah that made Alice turn redder than Hellboy who's glow of scarlet wasn't because of natural skin color but it was his apparent dislike for Galileo.  
"Here I'll shoot him." Hellboy said taking out his own gun.

BANG.

Alice let out a gasp as some in the crowd screamed. Smoke rose from Hellboy's gun as he smirked a bit seeing Galileo lying on the ground. A bullet hole was now in his lower abdomen where his right lung was located. His eyes were closed but the apparent frown on his face showed the discomfort of being shot.

Alice immediately ran to his side putting his head on her lap. She checked his breathing. He wasn't. She checked for a pulse. There was none. She probed the wound and it was still warm then she gasped again, "Hellboy you killed him!"  
"Did not!" Hellboy said innocently, "he said he was going to live!"  
"He was lying!" Alice shouted terrified.  
"Well—it's his fault!"  
She didn't know what to do. Not only had she brought the B.P.R.D.'s secret outside of his secluded hole without permission but he had committed murder.

Then there was a grunt. Alice looked down seeing Galileo's eyes blink profusely as focused them staring back at hers. He smirked then asked, "So I guess this means you owe me a date, Miss Elizabeth Taylor?"  
Alice could not help but smile as the crowd began to applaud. Hellboy stood bewildered holding his gun as Alice helped Galileo up.  
"I want to go home." Hellboy said interrupting the two.  
Alice looked up from her daze as Galileo frowned, "This your red baboon?"  
"I'm not a baboon. Alice I want to go home." Hellboy said again.  
"Please, one moment." Galileo said caressing Alice's cheek, "Sardi's at seven… is that okay with you?"  
"Sure…" Alice said breathlessly.  
"Seven." Galileo whispered.  
"I'M READY TO GO HOME." Hellboy said a bit louder.

* * *

When Hellboy and Alice returned to the Plaza she got a quick chewing out from Professor Bruttenholm. Though he was happy both had returned safely and that the warg was dead, he was very unhappy hearing they had taken a detour and went to the Boardwalk.  
Alice quickly smoothed it out and told Trevor where the body of the warg as located: if they wanted. She wasn't going back down there to get it. She didn't have the time.

Quickly, she took a taxi to the hotel where the B.P.R.D. was staying until the investigation was closed. She showered, she groomed herself, she curled her hair then cursed herself for cutting it so short. She found her pearl necklace, an evening dress some suitable make-up then glanced at her clock to see that it was only 5:30.

_Knock, knock.  
_  
Alice looked up to hear someone knocking at her hotel door. She bit her lip. She hoped it wasn't Jerry, her soon to be ex-fiancé or Trevor. She opened the door and it was Hellboy, pouting.  
"Don't go on a date with that creep. It was a cheap trick, I tell ya. He's just weird." Hellboy said.

Alice smiled and was so touched. Not only had the big brute become her protégé but he had developed a crush on her. Alice leaned on the door and chuckled, "it's just a friendly dinner date. I owe him."  
"No you don't. He's creepy."  
"You'll understand when you get older, kid. Trust me."  
"Well what about Jerry?" Hellboy asked, "I heard father say he likes you. Jerry's a nice guy."  
Alice instinctively glanced over at her engagement ring sitting on the coffee table. The poor kid… he didn't know a thing.  
With that Alice went over to her coffee table and gave Hellboy the ring.  
"Here. Keep this as a memento for the first mission you had with a partner."  
Hellboy's golden eyes widened as Alice smirked, "Yeah I'm your partner in crime or… in killing paranormal things. Always will be, you hear me kid?"  
"Yeah."

"Now go on… I'll see you later, k?" Alice said.  
Hellboy nodded smiling and caressed the ring as he walked down the hall to his room.

Little did he know that would be the last time he saw Alice Babik for another thirty odd years.

* * *

Thank You for Reading. Reviews, please. Chapter Two Will be Up SOON.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

* * *

April 9th, 1989

"Everyone knows the legend of the Philosopher's Stone." Manning stated clearly across the room in the briefing. "It's believed to bring the holder immortality and to be able to turn any element into gold. These beliefs were developed in the thirteen century when gold was the only thing a man cared about. Many early philosophers wrote and searched for the stone. Many chemists tried to create it. The only man known to ever lay claim to knowing the recipe for the Philosopher's Stone and creating the only one known is a man by the name of Andrew Flamel. He died in 1605 and his home was ransacked the day after by robbers. All his important papers were missing. His daughter, Penelope Flamel also said an important artifact her father held dear and had left in his study was missing, a stone. No one ever investigated the case. After this the so called 'existing stone' was never heard of again until the beginning of World War I, when the Austrian government started a peculiar investigation looking for the stone in then, Austrian-occupied Poland. After that the stone was not heard of again until 1951 in New York a freak-side show owned by a man named Galileo Sweeney—and this is where our investigation begins."

Manning handed Hellboy a thick dusty vanilla folder.  
"It'll be three years ago in three days that Galileo Sweeney was murdered. A foreigner living decently in New York, he was poisoned and his case has been cold from the get-go. Galileo Sweeney… Hellboy, we don't even know if that's his real name. However, what we do know is he had something important his murderer wanted and they never found it. And what else we and the murderer knows is the only lead disappeared at the scene three years ago."  
"Yeah, this same lead I haven't seen in 38 years." Hellboy thought out loud, "It's strange."

* * *

She pressed her hands against the cold glass window and inhaled closing her eyes. She waited to feel the sensation she had known so many years ago but nothing came. She pressed her hands harder against the glass until her palms turns beet red. She opened her eyes to glance around, afraid someone noticed her unusual behavior, but no was near the exhibit.

"Closing time in 10 minutes." Announced a disembodied voice over the intercom. She pushed herself off the glass, defeated by her reality. She rubbed her palm against the glass in desire one last time before pulling it back hesitantly when a couple passed by.

"Closing time in 5 minutes."

The footsteps of the security guard echoed down the opposite hall and with much will power she directed herself towards the nearest exit of the museum. Oh villainy, how death had escaped her grasped yet again. The stone which sat upon a cheesy pedestal behind a plane of glass was a fake. She could tell almost as well as saying her alphabet in German that it was a fake but her lust for mortality made her believe crazy things. Delirious illusions of death. To die… to live… it was a decision she had made so very long ago.

Now the sun was down. The bustling streets of Manhattan were quiet. She had no where in particular to go and the shitty apartment she was renting downtown only depressed her more. So she began to walk. Her feet treaded no particular pattern; her head was up in the clouds thinking of a way out. How long was she going to walk aimlessly around New York; she did not know. Only the wind and noise from honking vehicles kept her mind on the rim of reality.

Now, walking at a faster pace, she felt a second presence. She was being followed in the shadows by an unseen force. She tucked her hands snugly in her windbreaker pockets and hummed to herself almost in excitement. The thought of being mugged was wild. When was her last incident with a mugger? Why two centuries ago in London, by a man who called himself, Jack.  
To see if her suspicions were correct, she crossed the street into the deserted public park. Her perpetrator's heart-rate sped up, excited about his catch. She shifted her weight to the soles of her feet, in a more relaxed position waiting for his attack. No sooner had she stepped on the biker's trail did she hear the click of a gun.

"Don't move."  
She froze hiding the smile behind a curtain of blonde hair.

"Let me see those hands."  
Her hands slowly reached for the sky as her assailant did a 180 to face her. Even in the dim moonlight she could see that he was an Italian male. He wore a ski-mask that did not hide his features well but the gun cocked in her chest cavity made up for the lack of frightfulness.

His free hand began to roam her body in search for a reward; he fondled her breast slightly before finding her wallet in her butt-pocket. He grinned at his find slacking his grip on the gun.

"How do you know I have any money?" she asked.

He looked up, "What did you say?"  
"What if I am broke? Are you going to kill me because I have no money?"  
He withdrew his gun to pistol whip her in the face but she grabbed his arm twisting it and disarmed him in an alarming rate.  
He squealed in pain as she hit a pressure point in his shoulder and he fell to his knees; then she kicked him square in the face knocking him out cold.

Now she was standing in a defensive posture, her breathing exhilarated by this fight. She hadn't felt so alive in years.

"Need a cigarette?"

She whirled around kicking madly into Hellboy's chest. He giggled, not feeling much from her soft pats, and held out a peace-offering.

"Hellboy!" She said, still with her guard up, "Wha—what are you doing here?"  
"_I could ask you the same, Alice_. Thirty-eight years without a phone call or letter?"

Alice was speechless and scant of breathe but kept her battle posture, "Ho—how'd you find me?"  
"It wasn't that hard. Looks like you've already made new friends since you got back."  
"What do you want?" She asked throatily, "Leave me alone!"  
"Geez, Alice what's wrong with you? All I need is—"

As the two were talking the mugger had faded in and out of consciousness. He was dizzy but his sight wasn't obscured. His pistol lay next to him and he grabbed it, aiming for her head.

Instead the bullet pierced her heart. It travelled through her back and out ricocheting on Hellboy's right arm into a tree. Alice let out a sharp breathe falling forward into Hellboy's grasp as the mugger struggled to stand.  
"Why you bastard!" Hellboy growled and sung his right fist into the mugger's face. The mugger flew back into the bushes; there was highly any doubt that he'd be alive.

Hellboy held Alice up into the moonlight so he could see. There was no blood coming out of the hole but her precious beating artery was visible still going strong in a speedy rhythm.

Alice could not breathe, gasping for air she covered her wound with her hand speaking in short breathes, "1219 Anvil Boulevard, apartment 27." and collapsed in his arms.

* * *

The room in apartment 27 was cramped with a leopard pull-out couch, a cruddy TV and a coffee table and small kitchenette area with a cracked sink. He laid her on the couch as Alice groaned in pain.

"Advil…" she groaned pointing at the coffee table.  
Hellboy found the box of pills sitting next to a bottle of rum.

He handed her two and she swallowed without water before throwing her head back with hot tears rolling down her face.

"So…" Hellboy hummed, "it's been a since you've been wounded I presume…"  
"No shit!" Alice was able to wheeze as she tried sitting up.

She was awkwardly lying against the arm now touching the wound. Her fingers stroked the exit wound lightly before applying pressure which she winced sucking air through her teeth.

Then, she chuckled, "Yeah, it's been a while since I've been shot. Almost forgot the feeling."

Hellboy watched her undress to her bra and with some difficulty probed at the hole healing in her heart. Finally she stopped and grabbed for the nearest short on the floor.

"You're going to be alright, right?" Hellboy asked.  
"Yeah," Alice said delightfully, "Just a flesh wound. It's been… so long… so exhilarating."

Her breathing had slowed down but her eyes were glazed with a haze of shock and excitement.

"I'm sorry to bring you down off your high Alice but I have a few questions to ask you." Hellboy said digging in his pockets.

"No interested." Alice said point-blank. Hellboy looked at her, "No not about that—though Manning did mention to ask you if you were interested in recruitment—I'm actually here on a murder case."

Alice threw her legs over the side of the couch on the floor and swiftly went to turn on the stove. She rattled and intentionally dropped pots and pans as Hellboy tried to speak.  
"Alice!" Hellboy shouted. She flinched and spun around holding a pot of water, "Do you want a boiled egg too?"

"No I don't like boiled eggs." Hellboy lied, "I want to talk to you."  
"I already know what this is about." Alice said.  
"What is it about?"  
It's about Sweeney's murder." Alice mumbled, "You want to talk about that."

Hellboy nodded slowly, "But first, why are you back Alice?"  
"I'm running."  
"And?"  
"Looking for a way to die."

* * *

"_Galileo Sweeney. Born May 12__th__, 1921. At age 19 he was drafted into the British forces for World War II but abandoned his post. Ran away to Romania where he became a circus act. Years later after the war his show moved to tout in America exploiting the physical disabilities and abnormalities of individuals in Sweeney Wonder Freak Show. His tour began in New York march 5__th__, 1951 and travelled abroad for a year before disappearing in Mexico.  
Three years later Sweeney was bought out by a new entrepreneur company named, Ripley's. From there he travelled the world for a number of years before joining Broadway as a talented musical actor and amateur opera singer. He retired in his late fifties and lived comfortably in Pennsylvania for a number of years. He was poisoned April 12__th__, 1986 at a banquet held in his honor. He died unmarried and childless."_

Alice snorted shaking her head in an unbelievable manner, "Can't believe they printed that in the newspaper."

"That was in the obituary in the New York Times. They had a larger article in there about a week later on his acting career. One of his journalist friends wrote it." Hellboy said sliding the cut out of the article back into protective paper, "The journalist name was—"  
"Bernie Cooper." Alice finished, "He knew Cooper."  
"Right and Bernie also mentioned Sweeney's short time in Rio one week before his murder to the cops. I went and had a chat with Mr. Cooper and he said Sweeney had been a target of his murderer for some time. He said Sweeney's life was in danger long before that night." Hellboy explained.

"Well how does this involve me?" Alice asked.

"I know you played a major role in his life Alice, there's no hiding that. This case was reopened three days ago when an anonymous blonde woman was spotted at the museum. This same woman matched the description that was given by guests at Sweeney's banquet who was at Sweeney's side as he lay dying in her arms but this same woman disappeared at from the scene before questioning. Kinda suspicious noting that a blonde blue-eyed waitress refilled Sweeney's drink before disappearing as well."  
"I have brown eyes." Alice replied, "And yeah… that was me at Sweeney's side. We had danced ten minutes earlier…. So many things left unsaid." Alice looked up at the ceiling to keep from crying.

"Are you ready to tell me what you, a phony exhibit, and the past 30 something years of your life have to do with this man?"  
"The past 30 years of my life had been that man…" Alice said her voice cracking.

Hellboy walked over to her giving her an awkward hug.  
"I don't mean to sound like an ass-hole Alice but don't get sentimental with me… we don't have much time."  
Alice sucked it up and nodded, "Fine. Give me somewhere to start."  
"Do you remember, thirty-eight years ago we were downtown and just killed that warg—looking thing in the sewer and we took the rest of the day off? Do ya?" Hellboy asked childishly.

Alice nodded yes.

"Well after i squashed its brains out you wanted to see the skyscrapers of New York so we went and saw the Chrysler Building & the Empire State building while you showered in a public fountain then we went on the boardwalk and there was Sweeney's freak show. Then you wanted to leave suddenly then Sweeney did some really strange performance where I shot him and the bastard didn't die, remember?"  
Alice nodded.

"Then Sweeney invited you on a date and I told you not to go and you have me your engagement ring from Jerry then I never heard from you again. Now, I don't know what happened that day after you met Sweeney but the next day you up and quit the Bureau without a word to me or the professor. Not to sound mean but that was pretty rude considering the professor thought highly of you."

Alice threw Hellboy a look, "I did tell the professor I was leaving. He apparently decided not to tell you because he thought you'd take it harder than him."

"Whatever…" Hellboy snipped, "So this is where things get loco. Sweeney's show made it all the way to California before he spontaneously handed it over to his friend Kirk Hodge and ran off to Africa for about four months. He came back and took the show to Mexico. Another year went by and he sold it to Ripley's. I'm assuming going pass the border was a bad financial move?"

"Yes it was…" Alice said, "And the part about Africa… we went to Nigeria. We had a Nigerian wedding. We were never married on paper but it was legit."

"So what made you marry this guy Alice?" Hellboy asked, "I mean someone like you I would think would never want to be married."

"Because mortals die." Alice replied bluntly, "I've been alive for centuries. I don't age, I don't get sick. I didn't want to watch someone I fell in love with turn to dust when I still look thirty years old."  
"That's a good reason." Hellboy admitted, "But what was different about Sweeney?"  
Alice's face lit up like an elder person talking about the good ol' times.

"Sweeney… Sweeney, Sweeney, Sweeney…" Alice said repeatedly, each time with more enthusiasm, "What was so special about him you ask: I'll never know. That day we met him he was just so handsome. Fine jaw line, that long greasy hair with that ridiculous shiny suit… I really don't know Hellboy. He was just the one." Then, her face grew somber, "But it was more than that. Sweeney had the Philosopher's Stone."

"The real Philosopher's Stone?" Hellboy asked.  
"IT was real!" Alice shouted. "I know it was Hellboy—I—I was mortal for twenty years!"  
"Twenty years?"  
Alice stuttered trying to explain, "When he showed the crowd the stone that day… I felt this aura around it. My body… my body didn't feel the way its always felt—I felt human… I felt vulnerable like… like if someone there shot me I'd die… I felt such happiness. The stone did the opposite for me… it made me feel human." Alice paused wringing her hands, "So, later than evening I went to dinner with him. Six hours later he asked me to marry him."  
"And you did."  
"Months later… so, we travelled the world and eventually I told him my secret. He didn't believe me so I shot myself—the last time I was shot—and he saw that I didn't bleed or need any medical attention. He was so shocked. He, he wanted to immortal. I told him it wasn't worth it—that immortality came with a heavy price. And… because he loved me he gave up that silly dream and gave me the stone to always hold… we stayed together for twenty years Hellboy. Twenty years."

"Wow." Hellboy said, "That's some love story. And you never had kids?"  
"I cant reproduce. I have no uterus." Alice said bluntly.  
"Didn't come with one?"

"Apparently." Alice hummed, "But he didn't care about having kids—we were going to adopt one day when we had the time."  
"Okay so let me ask you this. Why didn't any of Sweeney's friends mention you when they were questioned?"

"Because, Sweeney and I lived over seas. He didn't start his acting career until we… we split up in Italy." Alice admitted. "He couldn't let go of the fact that he had started to age and that if he wore the stone we could stay young forever and I didn't want that… I wanted to die… to grow old Hellboy."

"How big is that stone?" Hellboy asked.  
"Its no more bigger than the size of your gallbladder."  
"My gallbladder?"  
"A human's gallbladder." Alice corrected, "Its like an emerald except a bit heavier. When we were together I just kept it with me… I felt normal like that."  
"So after you split up did he keep the stone?" Hellboy asked.

"Of course he kept it!" Alice retorted, "He wouldn't let me hold on to his most precious possession but apparently he didn't use it. He aged. I stayed in Europe until the 70's and started travelling again just for my amusement. The last time I saw him was the night he died."  
"Tell me about it."

This time Alice's tear ducts overflowed.

"I'm sorry Hellboy but this is hard! I know you've never seen me so weak, so feminine but… Sweeney was the love of my life. That last night, I heard he was having a banquet in America through a mutual contact so I decided to bury all grudges and ask him if we could start over—as friends, if he preferred. That night I walked in and tapped him on the shoulder. When he saw me… he almost had a heart attack." Alice chuckled to herself, "He was sixty four years old with grey hair… I was barely a day over thirty again. We decided to dance to get some privacy and he had so many questions and even more apologies. He apologized for leaving me because of his selfish ways, he apologized for all the bad things he had done during our relationship, he was just so sorry for leaving me and I was equally as apologetic for having too much pride to say how much I needed him. Then the stone question came up.

"He said he didn't have it anymore. I know Sweeney didn't sell it Hellboy, there's no way he'd sell that thing. I didn't push him on the matter because I knew deep down he was lying about it and if he was still alive now… we'd be together, young or old—I don't care. We danced until someone called him over for a toast. We raised our glasses, he drank, he grabbed his throat, and someone screamed for an ambulance…"  
Alice swallowed massaging her own throat, "He… he was gripping my hand so hard, trying to hold on… trying to tell me where the stone was… he only managed to say Rio before his eyes rolled back and he was gone..."

Hellboy remained quiet as hot tears rolled down her pale cheeks. He grabbed a napkin from the coffee table and handed it to her, she kept looking down at the ground retracing every step, every day and minute she had spent with this man.

"I've never told anyone that story Hellboy." Alice admitted, "You're the first friend I've had in years and I don't think I want to live anymore like this. I don't want to live. I've seen too many things over the years Hellboy. This earth for me is a Hell. I… I just don't want to live."

"Its sad Alice when a person doesn't want to live anymore."

"I've lived enough for everyone."  
"Your story is the God honest truth, right?"  
"Yes!"  
"I'm sorry but I have to ask because… this is going into to archives."  
Alice blew her nose, "I don't see how my love-life can help you solve this case."

"We know Galileo Sweeney was in a cult in Romania called the Black Hand. They were like the devil-worshippers who dabbled in the occult—many of them were magicians or sorcerers who performed for Nazis during World War II. A lot of them were apart of the Ragna Rok project and had something to do with me getting here. Anyway, from what we've learned, Galileo didn't want the Black Hand to get the stone and that's how he ended up in America—how he got it, I'm baffled."  
"He found it in a creek." Alice said lightly.  
"Are you pulling me tail Alice?"  
"No. He found it in a creek in Romania. He knew what it was—he had been studying it with the members of the Black Hand and he knew what they'd do with it. So, like you said, he ran."

"So do you anything else about the Black Hand?" Hellboy asked.  
Alice hunched, "All that you guys know... they're a cult... they want that stone. They've been after Sweeney all his life... now they're after me."  
Hellboy widened his eyes, "How do they know you exist?"  
Alice hunched again, "We became to careless in Europe. The cult members are everywhere whose to say they hadn't seen me twenty years ago and I know... the waitress who poured his drink was an assassin. I saw her running out of the building.... I chased after her but... I lost her."

"They think you have the stone so that means they don't have the stone which means they're little ransacking of Sweeney's time share home in Rio was unsuccessful."  
Alice looked up, "What?"  
"After Sweeney's death his time share home in Rio was broken into… but nothing was taken."  
"Makes sense." Alice said.

Hellboy clasped his hands excitedly like a child who had just finished a 1000 piece puzzle in a matter of hours, "It all adds up! Ya see… the Bureau's been investigating the Black Hand for months now. Their newest leader has been causing major trouble in Romania and suddenly—this guy disappears and pops up in Pennsylvania about a week ago… then we get reports of you at the museum looking at that exhibit and it all adds up."

"Yeah. _I know_…" Alice stressed, "After Sweeney's death I went back to Greece and things were happening. Unfamilair People following me who I didn't know… strange cars parked in front of my loft… people calling my phone and hanging up...then one night my drink had this awful taste but I—"  
"They tried poisoning you!" Hellboy said alarmed.  
Alice nodded, "They want me dead Hellboy. That's why I'm running."

"Alice you need to come with me." Hellboy said sternly, "These people are nothing to play around with. I've seen some of things they can do. They're a murderous bunch of weirdoes who wear black."  
"You don't think I can watch out for myself, kid?" Alice asked offended."  
Hellboy smirked but continued to be serious, "Yeah, I don't. I know you're immortal Alice but that doesn't mean they can't hurt you. They're going to keep coming after you until you faced them."

"Well I'm not going Hellboy." Alice said folding her arms, "I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for centuries."  
"Stop being a stubborn jack ass and listen to me!"  
"No you listen to me!" Alice yelled, "I'm not going after these nutcases!"  
Hellboy frowned seeing Alice was not going to budge. Finally he took a deep breathe and calmed his voice, "Fine. How about this: If you help me stop the Black Hand and we find the Philosopher's Stone you can keep it."  
Alice averted her eyes back and froth between Hellboy and her boiling eggs, "I can keep it."  
"And I'll never speak to you again—better yet, your file at the Bureau will be completely erased. All we want is the Black Hand's leader."  
"That's all." Alice whispered, "And you'll leave me. To die?"  
"Yes. If that's what you want."  
Alice rocked back and forth on her heels thinking as Hellboy crept out his left hand to shake. She stared at it, at the scars and punctures the Big Guy had received over the years. He was no longer a _kid_; he was Hellboy, The Best Paranormal Investigator in the World.

Alice slapped her hand hard in his, "Fine! But once we find it that's it. No more Alice Babik!"  
"Who will you be then?"  
"Harris!"  
"Harris What?"  
"Harris—"

KNOCK, KNOCK

Hellboy and Alice paused.  
Someone was knocking furiously at her door. It wasn't the floor manager because he would've said something. It was an imposture… an intruder…  
The knocks grew louder and louder then paused. Suddenly they heard louder thumps as if someone was trying to break in.  
Hellboy gave a curt '_humph_' then grabbed for his gun, "I thought they'd at least give us a day to leave town."  
"Ditto." Alice said seeing the rusted hinges failing, "I'll get my stuff."

* * *

Reviews... always good for the writer.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Alice did not have the time to grab her things. After the five attempts to knock down her door it fell dramatically as six masked assailants entered carrying lethal weapons.  
Hellboy was ready and fired two shots knocking two down for the count.  
"Get what you can! Let's move!" Hellboy said charging. The largest of the remaining four shouted in their native tongue to attack, _"Iat-o! S-o ucida!" _  
Hellboy shot but even in close quarters he missed. Three jumped on him but he swung them into walls with little effort. The fourth went around him to Alice which was a bad idea; she elegantly lifted her pot of boiling eggs and splashed it on his face. The assailant fled back as Hellboy knocked him over tripping over him and falling onto Alice's table.

By now the one of the wounded fellows in the doorway were whimpering away; the other had a satellite phone calling for backup.  
"Let's go!" Hellboy yelled. Alice nodded and opened a kitchen cabinet. Here was a rucksack and a pistol. She took it, threw her bag over her shoulder and ran behind Hellboy who purposely stepped on the injured assailant's shoulder. Alice grabbed the satellite phone out of his hand hearing the gibberish voices speaking quickly in their native tongue. She put it to her mouth whispering in a deadly tone, _"Lasa-ma in pace sau i se ia masuri serioase cu totii vor plati pretul cu viata ta."  
_Then she threw it against the wall; it shattered and they were off running down the street into the dark night.

* * *

Here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the weather was warm and inviting. The streets were filled with the daily bustling buses, blaring horns of cars, pedestrians chattering in all sorts of Spanish with a blonde haired Caucasian woman in the center.

Alice stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the dark haired brown natives of this Latin country. Her golden blonde hair went past her shoulders now as she donned a pair of aqua sunshades that matched her loose chemise dress. She wore a large straw hat that bent at the rim to conceal her face but it did nothing for her in the crowd.

To the natives, hopefully, she was another lost tourist who had wandered into the slums of Rio. They secretly wished she'd find her way back and not on the news as another missing person. Alice moved with the flow of traffic until she arrived on the main street. The wristwatch she was wearing beeped loudly so she took a detour through a fruit market. Here the fruit flies were thick amongst the pineapples and mangos. Alice maneuvered her way until she came out the other end of the market. Then, to avoid conspicuity, she took another detour through a busy meat market.

Finally after a third detour she saw the horizon of a sandy beach then she heard her wristwatch beeping again.

"About damn time." She mumbled under her breathe seeing her destination, that bloody coffee shop she had been searching for.

Entering the tanned Latin pubescent boy behind the counter looked up and from his chore and greeted her with a flirtatious remark. Alice ignored him and sat in the farthest corner of the shop and waited. Ten excruciating minutes later Hellboy entered from the bathroom, relieved and smiling.

"Bout time you get here. My stomach was melting from eating that feijoda."  
"Cry me a river will ya?" Alice said dryly turning the wristwatch off.

"You call the professor?"  
"Yeah I left him a message; told him not to wait up." Hellboy said sitting down.

"Good now… let's get to work."

After Hellboy and Alice's little incident with her intruders they quickly chose to run for the border where their first lead was located anyway. They boarded a plane in New Jersey and flew to Brazil and entered Rio de Janeiro of foot to make sure they weren't detected. But Alice was positive someone somewhere knew who they were and why they were here; someone always knew. To make Alice feel better and secure Hellboy offered to scale and climb buildings to avoid being seen together in public (not that it helped that Alice was a 5'9, Caucasian blonde walking around the shantytowns Rio) and if he felt the need for her to take a detour he'd beep in on her wristwatch from his and if he thought he saw danger he'd beep in twice. This was a handy tracking device the professor had created for Hellboy because he was always getting lost in tundras or dense forests but Hellboy wasn't supposed to have the second one. Luckily, he had swiped it thinking in advance about his mission.

Now they were in Rio, at a local coffee shop planning their next move. In a way Hellboy felt like he and Alice were Bonnie and Clyde; two fugitives on the run but they weren't in love. This mission could have easily been done with the help of the B.P.R.D but Alice wanted them to have no part in this just some good ol' fashion detective work and her favorite red partner, Hellboy. It made him blush to think about it but it didn't matter; no one would see the flushing in his cheeks when Alice looked at him frowning.

"What's our next move HB?" Alice asked.  
Hellboy blinked then relaxed the arch in his back trying to act cool, "We go to the time-share home Sweeney had bought."  
Alice shook her head slightly, "are you serious? Go there? It's a timeshare home for crying out loud HB! I'm pretty sure a hundred families have been in it since Sweeney died."  
"But think… we're dealing with a man of secrecy." Hellboy said digging in his jacket. Something rattled as he dug deeper and pulled out neatly folded documents in plastic covers. These were some of the papers Hellboy had read from earlier about Sweeney's death; articles, stories, written witness forms… all sorts of information that would be pieced together if they could find one more thing.

"Sweeney didn't have the cleanest record or the best morals. You know that." Hellboy said, "And he knew damn well he was being hunted by these maniacs so would you really be surprised if he had hidden something in that timeshare home."  
"Like what?"  
"Codes."

Hellboy handed Alice a sheet of weathered paper. The blue printing was damp from years of hiding and the corners were folded and lined with odd signs all draw precisely small so someone couldn't see them unless the paper was up close to their face.

"We found it at Sweeney's old Pennsylvania home before the Black Hand could ransack it. Had it hidden in a secret compartment behind his writing desk with a gun and over a thousands dollars in cash. The paper was cursed;—no one could lift it out of the box without being shocked to death. Finally they called in a psychic who kicked and screamed evil (_Hellboy rolled his eyes_) and finally condemned whatever bad magic was on it so we could read it. But we couldn't… its all coded."

Alice took the paper and scanned it left from right. Her eyes began to burn a bit seeing each third letter was written in red, some were in green and others written upside down or backwards and didn't even make sense.  
"First of all this isn't English."  
"Really?" Hellboy asked sardonically.

"Yeah." Alice answered, "He's switching in between Romanian… French-Russian?"  
"And it's all written backwards."  
"And in a fourth language." Alice said rolling it up, "Latin."  
"Well some of our experts understood a little but this is only half. Sweeney hid his second code."  
"Where?"  
"That's what we're going to find out."  
Alice sighed, "This all too confusing."  
"Listen Alice." Hellboy said, "We can do this. We just have to connect the dots."  
"I suppose." Alice said as the Latin boy came to their table. He grinned at Alice and asked her in Spanish what she wanted. Alice said nothing and looked at Hellboy who answered in Spanish.

"Well what if there are more codes written somewhere and the Black Hand has them? What if they're searching for this one?" Alice asked.  
"And you."  
"And I have the code."  
"Which means double the jackpot."  
Alice ran her fingers through her hair, "Look HB I don't know what these guys are capable of. They have to be pretty dangerous if Sweeney cursed a piece of paper to keep it away from them."  
"Ain't anything we can't handle." Hellboy said proudly.

"You sure big guy?" Alice asked.  
Hellboy nodded, "Promise."  
"Now where are we off too?"  
"Sweeney's timeshare home…" Hellboy whispered hearing his stomach howling to go back to the restroom.

* * *

The building in which Sweeney's timeshare home was very nice. The loft itself would be nicer. The structure was white with 30 stories and with innovative architectural designs. Tall palm trees surrounded the place as front sat on the beach where unnaturally green grass merged with racked white sands and volleyball courts everywhere. Tourists, mostly Caucasian, strolled in and out sipping fruity alcoholic drinks in coconut shells as large as ostrich eggs.

Hellboy and Alice walked in without being stopped by security. Immediately Hellboy took out his badge and the paperwork to find out which floor and room number.

The receptionist was watching a small white and black TV behind her desk and of course was startled by Hellboy's appearance.  
"We need the key to room 1452, please." Hellboy said.

The woman couldn't speak at first but managed to release her squeaky voice, "I'm sorry sir I cannot give you a key to a room in this building."  
"What?"  
"I'm sorry sir but I cannot give you a key to a room in this building."  
"Look lady I'm working here." Hellboy said leaning in as the woman gasped drawing attention to the front. Alice looked around seeing a group of teens staring at them. Across from them was a shaven headed man wearing black sunshades, pretending to read a magazine. He had a tiny black hand tattooed on his skull right above his ear. Alice's eyes widened as she leaned in with the irritated Hellboy who was now flashing his badge in the woman's face. She would not budge, "I'm sorry sir but you can't have a key to that room! Please leave before I am forced to call security."  
"Security?" Hellboy asked raising his arms in disbelief.  
"Hellboy we don't have time for this." Alice whispered shaking his arm, "We—we gotta go."  
Hellboy looked at her, "What do you mean?"  
"Let's just go. NOW." Alice insisted pushing him towards the front doors. Hellboy griped as they passed the man.

Instinctively their eyes locked. The shaven headed man stared at her with such intensity that Alice knew it was them. The Black Hand. They were here. They had found them. They knew that something was in that timeshare home.

When they were outside the entrance doors, Alice pulled Hellboy behind parked buses shushing him when he asked why she was spooked.  
"They're here. I saw them. We gotta get in that room now."  
"What do you mean you saw them?"  
"A man with a black hand tattooed on his head-it's not a coincidence. It's them."  
Hellboy blankly stared seeing how pale Alice had turned.  
"Alice…" he said breathlessly, "Are you…scared?"  
Alice blinked looking him in his eyes as her nose scrunched up, "No! No I'm not but if we want to search that home we gotta break in without a key."  
"Hmmm," Hellboy said rubbing his chin, "Breaking into a home without a warrant on foreign soil without the permission of neither the U.S. nor Brazil…" He smirked, "Sounds like my kinda work."  
Alice rolled her eyes, "Then let's go. This place goes right on the beach… we'll just take the outside staircase."

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier, weirdo?" Hellboy asked, "We could've used that first!"

They ran up fourteen flights of stairs to get to the floor where Sweeney's room was located. As they stood in front of the blue wooden door on the fourteen floor, Alice and Hellboy turned to each other unsure.  
"We both know what we're risking here?"  
"Yeah. An international awful affair."  
"You know once the world did not have such borders."  
"Was this after the Roman Empire took over?"  
"I have never been to South America before this… or at least I don't remember. Many things change."  
"Let's get back on topic here time traveler."  
"Right…" Alice said zoning back in, "What will we do if people are in here?"  
"Tell them to get out."  
"And the Black Hand?"  
Hellboy paused before he answered, "Shoot them."  
Alice nodded as she placed her knuckles to the door then thought about it.  
"Ah, what the hell." She murmured before slamming her left shoulder into the door. It fell inward without another punch.  
Hellboy stared amazed before clearing his throat, "Nice work Agent Babik."  
"Any day." Alice said reaching into her knapsack for her gun.  
The loft had whitewashed walls, fine leather couches and pillows everywhere in the living room along with a new Sony TV. The kitchen was spacious and led into a long hallway with three doors on both sides. Hellboy didn't bother to pull out his gun- they had to see if any civilians were here first and he didn't want to scare the shit out of them. Not like he appearance didn't do that already.

Alice tiptoed silently into the hall opening every door fearlessly. Hellboy admired her from afar as he kept a watch on the front door.  
Alice came back with her gun down calmly taking in the interior decoration of the room, "Nice vase."  
"I've seen better." Hellboy said picking up the front door. He placed it back on its hinges, "So it won't bring so much attention to this room."  
"Yeah, sure…" Alice said feeling on the couches.

"There are suitcases on the beds, Johnson and Johnson baby wipes in the restroom and toys everywhere… I'm assuming a husband and wife with 2.5 children."  
"You can't half a child Alice."  
"Whatever."  
"Now where are you my little coded piece of paper?" Hellboy said easing into the kitchen. He opened the fridge peeking in, "Ain't in there."  
"Be serious HB, we're on borrow time." Alice hissed bending down. She rubbed her hands against the wooden floors looking for any loose boards or odd nicks. As she did this, Hellboy continued to search through the kitchen for secret compartments and food.

An hour pasted as they moved from the living room and kitchen to the dining room and bedrooms.

Another hour pasted and the loft had been torn apart literally.

Alice had removed about forty wooden boards, the bathrooms were taken apart, the beds moved and flipped over, and the walls closely inspected.

By now Alice was sitting on the couch looking hopeless as Hellboy returned from the third bedroom, "Didn't find a thing."

"It's not here." Alice said defeated, "He didn't leave anything here."  
"Maybe. Maybe not." Hellboy said lightly searching for a cigarette in his pocket.

"Maybe we need to leave before the family gets home."  
"Thirty more minutes." Hellboy pleaded, "Let me smoke this on the balcony and we'll give it one more search."  
Hellboy excused himself to the balcony that was connected to the master suite.

Alice sighed and waited. Her mind was running full speed with thoughts: maybe Sweeney hadn't left anything here, maybe he had burned all his codes, maybe he had dropped the stone in the deepest part of the sea or tried burning it or buried it somewhere safe that no one would guess the location…  
Sweeney…  
Her mind wandered as far back as it could… to the time she lived in the height of the Roman Empire and saw what the archeologist of today could only imagine. When she chatted with the woman who would one day be remembered as the Mona Lisa… when she ran along with the crowd taking Marie Antoinette to the guillotine to get her head chopped off…  
She would have easily given that all up to see him again to feel his touch. If only time was not man's enemy. They could have all the time in the world… if only she would have listened.  
The sound of the front door falling to the floor interrupted her thoughts. She turned around, ready to explain to the soon-to-be shocked family what had happened but instead of finding them, she found the same man she had seen in the lobby.

Up close his face was very narrow with a long nose and an unkempt blonde mustache. In his right hand he had a pistol and in his left, a piece of paper.

"Looking for this?" he said in a thick Romanian accent. He held up the paper with an evil smirk as the sunshades slid down his nose bridge revealing green eyes. Alice frowned easing up as she stood in a defensive posture.

"You bastards!" She whispered in a hateful tone, "You killed him…"  
"Give me the stone." He managed to say waving the paper, "And you can have this."  
"I'm not interested in giving you shit."  
"Give me the stone." He repeated.

"I'll kill you! I'll rip your throat out and do so to the rest of your lot!"  
"Give me the STONE!"  
Alice suddenly charged letting out a battle scream so alarming it caught the assailant off guard. Alice knocked the gun out of his hand throwing punches in certain formation. She knocked him into the wall; he released the paper seeming unconscious only for a split second before bouncing up ready to fight.

"You dirty son of a bitch." Alice swore kicking at him. The assailant blocked it, catching Alice off guard; she turned around sending another lethal combo his way.

Hellboy ran in with his gun aimed directly at the man's head. He shot but missed him by millimeters. The man saw him and looked a bit stunned at Hellboy's size. Then Alice kicked him pushing him out of the door.

He lost his balance as Alice delivered one last fatal blow sending him over the rail.  
"Alice! No!" Hellboy screamed racing to the man but his feet were already over. He fell head first; Hellboy closed his eyes hearing the sound of skull cracking against the concrete fourteen stories below.

He turned to Alice both angry and disturbed, "What did you do that for! We could've interrogated him for answers!"  
Alice was breathing at an accelerated rate. Her eyes were blood shot, her pupils large as marbles. Her cheeks had become rosy with hatred as her fists shook with rage, "I hate them! I hate them! They killed Sweeney! He was a murderer!"  
"You just blew our cover!" Hellboy complained peeking over the rail again to see a small crowd of people running towards the speck of flesh.

"They will pay! By my hands they will pay!" Alice swore. Hellboy picked up the front door again slamming it into submission.

He picked up the second piece of paper the man had been carrying and it was indeed what they had been looking for.

"How long do you think it will take you to translate this?"

Alice did not respond.  
"Alice… Alice!" Hellboy shouted. She looked up at him; her chest was heaving up and down mechanically, "Answer me!"  
"I don't know!" She said then gradually her face changed from hatred to fear.  
"They're really going to come after us now." Alice stated.

"How hard do you think?"  
"No. How fast."  
"Then let's go," Hellboy replied, "We're already on borrowed time."

* * *

**Author's Note:** So sorry its been almost two weeks since I last posted. Fourth chapter will be up by Wednesday afternoon.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

* * *

The attention surrounding the building where Sweeney's time-share home was located had turned into a circus. As Hellboy and Alice took the back stairway back down to the first floor, the only noises they heard were Hellboy's hooves clinking against the concrete steps, screams, and the sirens of approaching police.  
"This is not going to look good if we're running down the stairs like this together." Hellboy said.

"It's not going to look good for you to be running down the stairs." Alice corrected, "We need to split up."  
"That's not a good idea Alice."  
"Do you have a better one?"  
Hellboy stopped as Alice stopped to look at him. His nostrils flared with irritation, "No I don't."  
"Then where do we meet up?" Alice asked.

Hellboy's mind began his thinking process for a safe place. They needed somewhere quiet to decode those papers, think and plan and eat free food.

"There are motels by the airport that's really cheap. Pick one. We stay one night and we're off."  
"To where?"  
"Where ever those papers take us." Hellboy said reaching into his pocket, "Here. Get us two conjoined rooms and stay in yours until I get there."  
"How will you know which one's mine?"  
"I'll knock on everybody's door!" Hellboy said sarcastically, "How did you find me last time at the coffee shop!"

"Oh! The watches!"  
"Yes!" Hellboy said. The sirens were now blaring loudly. Hellboy peeked from behind the staircase; they were eight floors away from the beach and he could see the crowd surrounding the Black Hand's member growing ever larger.  
"They're watching the staircases. The Black Hand and the cops." Alice whispered.

"You get out the best way you can and I'll hang around." Hellboy said.  
"Where?"  
"I'll find somewhere—just go." Hellboy ordered.  
Alice began her walk downstairs as Hellboy to retreated upstairs again.

* * *

Around nine thirty, Hellboy caught a cab to go to Malcriado Boulevard, a street that ran long and wide with both the view of Brazil's busiest airport on the left and the soccer dome to the right. Here was where most scumbags and cheap tourists came to stay when they couldn't afford the pricey Hilton or Marriott. The boulevard was lit up in bright neon lights that made Hellboy's head throb. He couldn't wait to lie down and rest even if it was an hour nap. He stared blankly out the window at the bystanders waiting outside of bars and clubs. Hellboy had gone unnoticed by most since he now donned a Brazilian soccer team t-shirt, hat and a Styrofoam Number one hand inconspicuously placed over his right hand. He was surprised he found one that fit. He carried his jacket over his left forearm since the tropic heat was beating down on his head and shoulders earlier. Now the temperature had dropped because it was nightfall but the stench of gross club sweat, sewers and mild humidity still made Hellboy feel hot and grimy. He occasionally glanced at his watch and out the back window to see if he was being followed but he couldn't see anything except young club hoppers and hobos.  
Hellboy rolled his eyes, _God this place looked like Vegas at night_. That thought made his head throb even harder. Then his watch started to beep. A motel, come up on his left side with motorbike's lined up in the parking lot, was where he was supposed to be.

"_Parar aqui mister_." Hellboy said in Portuguese to the cab driver.

The little man, smoking the rest of his cigar looked in the review mirror and hit the breaks without warning. Hellboy didn't slam into the seat but his ass shifted without his consent which made him scowl at the cab driver. The man blinked, unfazed by Hellboy's intimidation, "42.25."  
"Jeez, we just drove thirty minutes." Hellboy said searching his pockets for a fifty. He handed the man the money and told him to keep the rest.  
Hellboy stepped out and looked around for anyone suspicious.

Only silly girls in bikinis and testosterone meatheads were walking the streets right now, no one in black or with a black hand on their heads were walking around.

Hellboy waited for traffic to slow down as he crossed the street.

He was greeted with honks of cheer as drivers applauded him for his attire; apparently their team had just won.

Hellboy entered the motel and heard all the noise on the street go dead. The motel had a nice exterior and interior that made him feel like he wasn't in a sleazy motel. The receptionist behind the desk was doing a crossword puzzle and looked up with a smile, "Good evening sir."  
"Oh. You know English. Good." Hellboy said.

"Are you here with the motorcycle group as well?" the woman asked curiously looking at his odd appearance.  
"Uh yeah." Hellboy said.  
"Are you a Mister Fenn?"  
"Of course! Don't I look like him?" Hellboy said raising his arms up in a funny guy pose. The woman laughed handing him his room key.

"Your room is 231, sir. Enjoy your stay." Said the woman. Hellboy nodded and went into the left hallway but the receptionist called and said his party was to the right. He ignored her as he peeked down at his watch which was beeping a bit louder. He made three more turns into another hallway as his watch went nuts in front of room 474.  
Hellboy turned it off and knocked softly.

A minute later, Alice popped her head out and dragged him in closing it behind her.

"Good evening." Hellboy said casually.  
"Yeah, good evening alright." Alice said picking up the lit cigarette she had left on the coffee table.

"How long ya been here?"  
"I got here fifteen minutes after we split up…" Alice said, "Been watching the news."  
"And?"  
"The stories developing." Alice said hotly walking over to the window.  
"Jeez what's got you so worked up?" Hellboy asked sitting down at the table.  
Alice puffed her cigarette looking devilishly sexy to Hellboy. Her hair was in an untidy French braid draped over her right shoulder as she peeked out the window over her left, pulling the curtain with her left arm.  
She had changed into a tight black cami and jeans cut right over her knees. Her face was very tense; her eyebrows remained arched as those devilish eyes cut him like sliced bread which slightly turned him on.  
"What's the matter with me? We're being chased down by some loony bats who want the Philosopher's Stone while you go and play detective and I'm barracked up all day in here worrying if they're watching me!"

"Chill Alice; don't be so paranoid." Hellboy said but it didn't help. Alice put out her cigarette then went to the bathroom to look at her face.

"Paranoid!" she said, "Slightly, yes… but I have this feeling—"  
"What is it?"  
"Racing hearts." Alice answered looking at Hellboy from the bathroom.

Hellboy looked around, "Ok?"  
"You ever heard that old wives' tale about if someone's talking about you your ears start burning?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well its true in every sense except my ears don't burn and I'm more sensitive…" Alice bit into her lip, "The night you found me. I knew someone was following me cause' their heartbeat was erratic. It was the mugger's but I didn't sense yours. I have no clue why but I didn't so—I know at all times when someone's following me or watching me… I can sense their heartbeat."  
"So you knew the Black Hand was there?"  
"Not until I saw that guy. Then I knew… but I only know when I tune in so…" Alice rambled off looking around at the roof. Hellboy quickly stood up expecting ninjas or something to pop out of the ceiling but instead Alice hunched, "No one's here right now."  
"Oh good. So I can sleep." Hellboy said putting Mr. Fenn's key on the table, "Hey—just leave this here."

"Sleep? We have no time for sleep." Alice said putting her hand out, "Give me those papers."  
"Wha—oh yeah."  
Hellboy handed her the first coded document. Alice examined it and suddenly her eyes became watery as her knees grew weak.  
Hellboy caught her in time before she fell to the floor as she dropped the paper.  
"Alice! Alice!" he called shaking her.  
"I'm ok…" Alice mumbled a minute later with her head buried in her chest, "Damn… Sweeney… the second line was a psyche attack…"  
"Ah, yeah. I've had a few of those. They're not fun." Hellboy whispered.  
"I think I'm going to throw up."  
"Oh God."  
Hellboy quickly placed Alice on the bathroom floor where she hung on to the toilet seat and began to vomit.

Hellboy turned his head, not wanting to vomit either, took out a pen and picked up the paper scratching out the second line.  
"So um, you want me to um (_gurgling noise_) to get you some Pepto or something?"  
Alice waved her hand no as the vomiting stopped. She swayed her head side to side motioning for a hanging towel to wipe the corners of her mouth. Hellboy handed it to her and got an unavoidable peek at the surprise in the toilet.

"Gimmie the paper." Alice said weakly.  
He handed it to her; Alice continued to decode slowly.

By midnight Alice had vomited three more times before Hellboy snatched the coded documents out of her hands.

She had decoded only three fourths of the first page… the second one Hellboy was not going to give to her. She begged softly as her head rested on the toilet seat, "Gimmie…"  
"No." Hellboy replied picking her up. He sat her on the sink counter as she straddled her legs laying her head on his chest.

Hellboy felt a surge of heat ignite in his core; he hadn't been in this predicament in a long time. A very long time. A woman. Alone. In a motel bathroom. It all sounded _so_ dirty and it was. He tried suppressing these naughty feelings but could not help it. Luckily Alice was so drained from vomiting that she scarcely noticed the drastic change in his body temperature, "Who cut on the heater? Cut it off."

"Alice I'm going to lay you down (_God, he had a lewd mind_) and order some dinner okay?"  
"Okay." She whispered.

He picked her up and laid her on the bed, placing the trashcan on the side. He went to the phone hearing numerous clicks before it began to ring, "Cheap motel lines," he whispered hitting the number that was on the thin piece of paper that said room service.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. Hellboy opened it seeing the receptionist standing there with a plate of biscuits and some cold leftovers.  
"Mr. Fenn?"  
Hellboy smiled, "Hey."  
"Sorry sir our kitchen closed three hours ago."  
"It's ok."  
"I hope cold trout isn't too bad sir."  
"Jeez, you guys don't own a microwave?"  
"They're so expensive sir but I'm sure you and your guest…" she was intrigued peeking in between the door and Hellboy at a resting Alice, "…Could find some food stand still open."  
"Naw, we'll pass. Thanks though." Hellboy replied closing the door in her face.

Hellboy placed the food on the table and waited for Alice to open her eyes. She placed her hand over her mouth to smell her breathe and made a face.  
"Maybe you should wash up."  
"Yeah. Maybe."  
"I'm taking these with me." Hellboy said picking up the coded documents.  
"No. leave em' here."  
"No. you'll hurt yourself. Apparently Sweeney's laced these things with enough psyche attacks to kill a grown elephant."  
"I won't steal a look. I promise." Alice said batting her eyelashes.

Hellboy grimaced. He was always a sucker for female attention.  
"Fine. But I hear any falling noise or vomiting—"  
"I won't you red brute." Alice said closing her eyes again.  
"You gonna eat."  
"Naturally, I do not have a need to eat."  
"Eat for me."  
"I'll eat for Sparta."  
"What?"  
"What?"  
"Goodnight Alice." Hellboy said entering into his own room.

* * *

Both rooms consisted of a bed, night stand a colored TV and the usual essentials of cheap motel living. Hellboy crashed in on his bed, the springs whining and popping under his weight. He closed his eyes thinking and happy to be off his hooves. He recollected the day's events and eliminated every useless theory on where that stone could be.

For the most part the coded document talked about the stone. The parts Alice could decode (when she wasn't out cold for ten minutes at a time or vomiting) said something about a formula and snow… snow…

Snow was the last place they stopped. Apparently the stone wasn't in the hot tropics of Brazil. It was up north. But where in the north and was it even in America anymore? They would know in the morning after a hearty breakfast while on the bus to their next destination—anywhere where the Black Hand wasn't looking for them.

The sound of running water pushed into his mind and he opened his eyes sighing. He sat up and spotted the coffee maker. If there was one thing at the Bureau's office that never ran out it was coffee. Coffee kept them up many a night solving cases. Everybody at the Bureau was a coffee junkie. If you weren't, you were weird.

Hellboy swung his legs over and began to make himself some coffee. He didn't really want to stay up but it would give him something to do while Alice showered.

The pot was crusty with old coffee grinds from the previous occupant of the room but he didn't care. He sat the pot on the burner and waited for it to start up. It dripped slowly. Painfully slow; Hellboy winced every time it did then he decided to make a call. He picked up his room phone but it was disconnected.

Cheap Bastards.

He slid through the door connecting his room to Alice's and out hers into the hallway to find a payphone. He remembered vaguely that there was one in the lobby. No one was there when he arrived and he assumed the receptionist had called it a night.

Hellboy put in the needed amount and dialed the number. It rand a couple of times before the voicemail picked up and Hellboy sighed.

"_Hello this is Trevor Bruttenholm, I am unavailable at the moment as you have realized since you are listening to this recorded message…_"

Hellboy waited for it to finish; hearing the beep he cleared his throat.  
"Hey professor it's me…" he paused thinking that was a stupid statement, "Hellboy.

"We're down south _way_ pass the border. We found more stuff—more codes. Some are repetitive—Alice sees a pattern but um… we've faced um…a few complications with decoding them. Oh yeah, and the Black Hand are on our tail by the way. Alice is very unsettled and anxious but she's got me. Seems they know our every move before we can take it—why I wouldn't be surprised if they've traced us and they're in this building right now."

He had spoken too late. Muffled footsteps of the assassin were picked up by Hellboy's keen sense of hearing.

He hunched in whispered into the phone, "Call you later."  
He slammed the phone into its holder turning around to see the receptionists being held hostage by a figure in black. It was another woman, holding a knife to the receptionist's throat and pointing a gun at Hellboy in her free hand.

"_Dă-mi femeia nemuritor şi eu nu vor afecta, fata asta_."

"What?"

"_Dă-mi femeia nemuritor şi eu nu vor afecta, fata asta_!" hissed the assassin.

"Oh! You're speaking Romanian. Why didn't I figure that our earlier." Hellboy said in dry humor as the assassin shook her head in confusion inching forward, "Stone."  
"Ah, you want my money."  
"Stone!"  
Hellboy shook the dust off his right arm, "Here ya go."  
"S-STONE!" she stuttered waving her gun. Hellboy stepped forward as she hesitantly shifted her weight so she could hold her hostage correctly.

"Look I don't want any trouble. Let her go."  
"Stone!"  
"Let her go." Hellboy said sternly trying to ease towards them.

The assassin hissed and pushed the knife down cutting the receptionist's wrist. She screamed as the assassin pushed her out of the way unloading her gun at Hellboy. He held his arm up, reflecting most of the bullets but one struck him his rough chest.

The assassin dived for him grabbing Hellboy's curled tail; he instinctively yelped as she yanked it.

He swung her around into the receptionist's desk. By now the receptionist had hobbled out of the entrance screaming for help.

"I don't have time for this!" he shouted heading for the hallway.

Quickly recovering, the assassin jumped on his back clawing at his head and ponytail. He swung her off again slamming her into the wall. She slid down and remained morbidly still.

"Serves you right." He thought coldly.

Down the hallway to their rooms Hellboy spotted wet footprints and Alice's door ajar.  
"Oh no." he thought and charged in the room without thinking.

"Alice! Alice!" he shouted.

Her sheets and knapsack were missing and no one was in the bathroom. The room had been ransacked. He opened the door connecting their rooms to find his also torn to pieces and his overcoat and gun missing.

"Oh shit. They have the codes!" he thought stepped inside. He glanced over at the desk where the coffee maker was still struggling to brew. He reached to cut it off then heard muffled footsteps and the sound of heavy iron clashing against his skull. He stumbled forward trying to stop himself from falling but the impact had been to blunt. He fell into the desk feeling hot coffee and glass hit his face and everything went black**.**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes:** yeah, so its a little behind in schedule so forgive me. Please review, any and everybody I know you're out there!!! And thanks Joelle Hart for pointing that stuff out earlier. I'll change it over it sometime this week.  
Happy Holidays everyone.

The next chapter will be up in less than two weeks.

oh and if you caught that thing about Sparta... 300's on TV and i just added cause I was bored.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter 5**

* * *

As Hellboy came to he kept his eyes closed to appear unconscious and because he had a bloody headache. He heard a noisy engine rumbling, other cars flying pass them and the sound of wood scraping the metal floor which was cargo sliding back and forth.

Hellboy knew very well he was in a box because when he opened his eyes he felt like he was staring at a pine top. How his kidnappers had found such a box for his size he did not know but they had his arms and legs both tied in rope and chained together. His mouth wasn't gagged so he could breathe; his kidnappers had only poked three small holes in the box: one by his feet, a second one over his chest and a third one right over his left eye. He blinked seeing a weak light source from a lantern bob in rhythm with the driver's reckless turns.  
Hellboy had little space to wiggle which made him both irritated and claustrophobic. His tail was numb (hopefully it hadn't fallen off) and the back of his head throbbed with so much pain that he closed his eyes hoping it would make it better. Whatever they had hit him in the back of the head with had to be a very blunt object.

Hellboy wanted to swear out loudly to his kidnappers to make himself feel better but he did not want to give away the air of secrecy. Not that there was much; he couldn't move.

Licking his dry lips he tried collecting his thoughts. They were moving at least at 80 mph. he was in a box. They had his gun, his I.D. badge, the case papers and lastly the codes.

He rolled his eyes; how could be have been so stupid to leave his room while Alice was clueless and vulnerable in the shower? God he had been making some dumb-ass mistakes with Alice around.

It was like she kept him distracted from thinking logically and though he hated to admit it; it was true. He had the hearts for her. But he couldn't blame her for his stupidity; it was his fault he was bonded up and in a box. His heart raced faster because he didn't know what had happened to her or where she was**.**

_**SCCCCCRRRRRREEEEECHHHHHHHHHH!**_

He slid forward half an inch slamming his numb hooves in the wood. Everything around him came to a screeching halt; the crash of numerous boxes and crates awoke both Hellboy and the man in the trailer.

"Ah shit!"

The man sitting in the corner of the 18 wheeler trailer was awoken by an alarming stop from the idiots in the front driving. He slid out of his chair and dreams onto the floor where crates were smashed and rolling.

Hellboy heard the sound of a rusty trailer door being opened as footsteps passed his prison box over to help the fallen gentleman.

"You alright Olavo? We heard you hit when we stopped."  
Hellboy understood the language they were speaking. It was Portuguese. They were still in Brazil or another Latin country surrounding it.

"Yes I am alright. Your driving stinks Luiz. You need to practice more." Replied the man.  
"We are not driving Olavo. It is them. The Romanians."  
"Uh oh." Hellboy thought.

The three Portuguese men continued to chatter as they looked around seeing most of their cargo crushed by the Romanians careless driving.  
Finally after another minute, Hellboy heard another set of footsteps approaching. The three Portuguese men stopped talking to look up.

"Do we got a problem sirs?" asked the Romanian in Portuguese. It was moderately odd hearing the Romanian speak such a different language. He sounded as if he was struggling with it but he had no other way to communicate.  
"No we have no problem. Some of our merchandise is smashed to pieces."  
"IT IS nothing my master cannot repay you for." Replied the Romanian. His voice sounded both raspy with a touch of impatience for his help.  
The three Portuguese men looked at one another and nodded.  
"Is my cargo harmed?"  
"Of course not sir. It is chained down. There's no way it can be harmed."  
"Did you touch it Olavo?"  
"No sir."  
The Romanian man walked over towards Hellboy. Hellboy quickly closed his eyes and opened his mouth so he would look unconscious. The Romanian man peeked in the hole above his left eye.  
"Hmmm. Still out. I hope we did not kill him. It will be very smelly to dissect." with this he turned around and jumped out the trailer.  
"Come. We are stopping for ten minutes at this diner. Get what you want and hurry."  
The three Portuguese men followed him off, leaving the trailer door open.

Hellboy could smell the tropics around him; the fresh air was a cool touch to his hot and sweaty body trapped in a box. He heard the sound of the men entering some diner because the Brazilian music was loud.

No sooner had they entered the diner he heard her climbing into the trailer.  
"Hellboy?"  
Hellboy opened his eyes hearing Alice's shallow breathing.

"Alice!"  
"Shh!" she whispered calmly, "I'm alright. Are you wounded?"  
"Not that I can tell."  
"What about your head?"  
"It's throbbing but I'll live." Hellboy said trying to move. He then felt the chains around his wrists shrink which made him panic, "Holy shit! These things are going to cut off my circulation!"  
"Then don't move!" Alice replied.

There was a crunch noise as Hellboy was now staring at Alice's forefinger and middle finger over his right eye. She pulled it out allowing more fresh air in and made three more additional holes so he wouldn't suffocate. Hellboy stared at Alice as her brown eyes met his.

She was tired. Her face was oily and seemed clipped by debris and wind; she was crouching over him on the coffin and if he did some magical powers he would have wished for it to disperse.

Alice then took a canteen and aimed it at his mouth, "Open up. You look parched."  
Hellboy did so but the liquid missed squirting into his nose. He coughed; Alice shushed him.

"Then stop choking me! Hellboy hissed, "And break this damn thing open so we can escape."  
"I cant. You're chained down and they have some kind of spell on them. Even if I poke ten thousand holes in this thing the chains will remain."  
"Then how do we get them off?" Hellboy whispered.  
Alice looked over her shoulder then took out a rubber band to pull her hair up.  
She started to yank the chains, trying with all her might and inhuman strength to pull them apart. Her eyes began to water with pain; her face was red like a strawberry before Hellboy told her to stop.  
"Apparently this is not going to work." Hellboy huffed.

Alice sat down on the side taking deep breathes.

"I read the rest of those codes ya know."  
"You did!" Hellboy whispered, "Where—and how did you escape and—"

"The man I killed two days ago was named Anton Vulpes. He was one admired man in their cult—not the main guy but very important. The man driving is his brother, Gavril."  
"Holy shit! What have I gotten us into?" Hellboy groaned.

"There's another Romanian guy with him. His name Petru Serban. He's a pretty good mystic Hellboy."  
"Ya mean—"

"He's the one who's been tracking us and ya know how?" Alice twisted her fingers in her dangling ponytail, "He has a lock of my hair from my apartment. He has some power HB. I heard them talking about some of the things they've done. Their magic is serious."  
"Damn." Hellboy swore turning his head to relax his stiff neck.  
"So you mean to tell me I've been in this box for two days unresponsive and you've been tailing them by—"  
"Sleeping on top of the truck at night." Alice admitted, "During the day I climb between the trailer and the truck or under it and hang on for dear life."  
"Alice that's pretty amazing," Hellboy said highly impressed, "What if you would've slipped or fallen off or—"

"Yeah I thought about that." Alice said, "And they know I'm following them. We got into a little scuffle this morning."  
Alice trailed the unsealed wound on her left thigh with her finger tips. It was still sore and tender; there was a paper thin scab trying to ooze over it but it wasn't holding good and for once Alice could not heal.

"What do you mean a scuffle?"  
"I attacked the truck—they swerved off road and stung me with these lighting sticks."  
"Huh?"  
"They're long steel rods. The tips are blue. They produce electricity and one of em' got me in the thigh and it tasered the shit out of me. They left me to die."  
"They must have not recognized you."  
"Yeah they did. I saw Petru's face. He knew it was me." Alice said frowning.  
"And they just left you?"  
"They knew I'd come back."  
"Okay…" Hellboy said collecting his memories, "What about the hotel?"

"I felt them coming." Alice said, "Just like I told you I would. I ran out of the shower, grabbed a towel and the codes and took out for the emergency exit. I fought some big guy but he was no trouble—snapped his neck and ran for the airport. I didn't think about you till I was halfway in the women's bathroom searching for clothes."  
"Ouch. That hurts a little."  
"I didn't think about the watches or how to go and help you I just—"  
"You did the right thing." Hellboy replied, "It could've been both of us in this box."  
Alice shrugged rubbing her eyes.  
"Oh and by the way… I tore up those coded papers."

"WHAT!"

"I tore up the coded papers… I read everything with limited fainting out on top of the trailer… the stone's not here and its not up in America."  
"Where is it?"  
"Russia."  
"Wait and how—"  
"I'll tell you later once we figure out a plan." Alice said climbing back on top of the box. She gave the chains one more yank and crossed her legs Indian style.  
"I think I have a solution." Alice whispered, "Let's get Petru to break them."

"And how are we going to do that?" Hellboy asked, "There are five men in there with guns and electric rods and one of them is a mad mystic."  
Alice folded her arms looking up at the ceiling of the trailer.

"Well you need to figure out a plan fast because we're not in Brazil anymore. They're headed for San Juan, Argentina."  
"Ah shit."  
"They know some weirdoes who practice ancient Incan religion and they want to dissect you and sacrifice you after they look for the stone in your innards."  
"What?"  
"They think you're the stone." Alice whispered chuckling, "Petru has some odd theory that since you're demonic that you swallowed the stone and it lives in you and you must be dissected to get the stone and—"  
"So how in hell did I become the new target of their operation?"  
"That's what you get for hanging out with me, kid." Alice replied smirking. Hellboy saw some cheer in her face as she leaned closer to the coffin.

Oh God how he wished he could make things disperse. Her lips may have been chap from the torturous winds of riding on top of a trailer but they were beyond kissable. And he could see some cleavage—oh he'd give anything to make objects disperse—

"Oh shit they're coming!" Alice hissed standing up.  
"Alice listen to me!" Hellboy said, "What time is it?"  
"Just about eight."  
"When ten o'clock hits and we're on some secluded highway or road, I want you to blow out one of the tires." Hellboy ordered, "Blow out one and try and scare off the Portuguese guys first and get Petru so he can get these damn chains off of me!"  
"Got it!"  
"And be careful!" Hellboy said hearing Alice slipped out the trailer quietly before anyone could see her.

The Portuguese men returned to the trailer with their food. Hellboy caught a whiff of some _Churrasco_, the Brazilian equivalent of Barbecue, and his stomach went nuts. It gurgled so loud that the three Portuguese men stopped talking and commenced to shout for Petru.  
Crap. So much for not giving away the element of surprise.

Petru climbed into the trailer asking what was wrong.

He was the guy Hellboy had heard speaking earlier with his Romanian accent.  
"What? What is wrong?"  
"Mister—the box growled at us!" said Olavo.

Growled?" Petru said and bent over to look at Hellboy. Hellboy blinked and glared at Petru, "Morning, sunshine."  
"Aye, I see." Petru said speaking English.  
"The beast which I have imprisoned is awake now." Petru said calmly in Portuguese, "he will not hurt you for these chains are blessed with holy water from the Catholic Church."  
"Ah! That's bull shit." Hellboy shouted.

"Quiet beast." Petru whispered. Hellboy felt the chains around his body shrink. His ribcage was squeezed now, he let out a breathe feeling too constricted.  
"Let me out of this box you coward! Let me rip you a new one since you're so magically delicious!"  
"How licentious." Petru said leaning closer to look into Hellboy's eyes.

Hellboy could see that Petru had a shaved head and wore all black as well. The tattoo of the Black Hand was on the back of his skull and it was large. He made no secret he was in a cult.

"Beast of Apocalypse. Favorite Son of the Fallen One."  
"What?"  
"We have stumbled upon a spectacular find. Such a creature chasing after immortality as well—I must say even the Gods are envious of what we desire."  
"What?"  
"So tell me creature, where is that little girlfriend of yours, Virtus? Is she here right now watching over you?"  
"What are talking about?" Hellboy said through clenched teeth.

"So you do not know of her, hmm? Then let me refresh your memory. She is blonde, tall and deadly with her hands. Such a profound deity and now a prostitute to some pitiful demon."  
"What did you call her?!" Hellboy shouted trembling with anger.  
"Virtus where ever you are we have your boyfriend. He is a pathetic excuse for a demon—a pathetic excuse for the Beast of the Apocalypse. I see frolicking with such company means you have lost your place amongst the deities and gods in the heavens? Have they no place for your kind in Hades?" Petru asked as if he were talking directly to someone. He waited for a response then chuckled, "I see she has remained silent. Pity."  
Petru stood up taking his leave for the truck.  
"Let's see if the old magics of the Incan ruins have any effect on a Roman goddess. Come," Petru said switching to Portuguese, "We have a long way ahead of us. Drive for me Luiz."  
"Yes sir." Luiz said as Olavo took his place in the corner of the trailer with his food, drink and an electric rod.

The 18 wheeler was fired up and the engine rumbled. They were on a move and Hellboy's blood still boiled hearing another man call Alice a whore. And who was this Virtus?

* * *

Hellboy remained awake waiting for Alice to strike. He listened and counted in head the minutes that passed by; he also tried to sweet talk Olavo into feeding him.

"_Churrasco_, please, _Churrasco_." Hellboy repeated a hundred times.  
"Shut up beast." Olavo would reply.  
"_Churrasco_, good for the soul."  
"Shut up beast."  
Around ten thirty Hellboy began to snooze but he heard the loud footsteps. Alice was up on the roof deliberately making noise. Olavo glanced up from his grape soda, and grabbed the electric rod and his walkie-talkie.

"The crazy blonde woman is back, Rui. Tell the mister." Olavo whispered in the walkie-talkie.  
"Eh how you know?" replied Rui.  
"Cause she's on the roo—"

Before Olavo could finish his sentence, the 18 wheeler swerved and lost control. Hellboy's box shook him up and down as the remaining crates smashed into damaging his box. Olavo was thrown into the wall again, this time much harder, and slid down unconscious.  
"Olavo! Olavo!" Hellboy heard a voice call over the walkie-talkie a minute later, "Olavo! You alright!"

"There's a spare somewhere in the back get it!" Petru was shouting at the Portuguese men to move.  
Hellboy then heard the sound of crunching metal as the trailer door opened and the sound of footsteps followed.  
"It's her!"  
"Get her! Gavril! Get her!"  
"Stop em' Alice!" Hellboy cheered on.

He could hear nothing but grunts and footsteps but then he heard a gun go off.

Alice let out a terrible scream, "Ah! My face!"  
There were three more gun shots and everything became quiet.

Hellboy's eyes grew wide as he shook around the box, "Alice! Alice!"  
"Is she dead, Petru?"  
"I believe so…" Petru whispered, "Go… Gavril pick her up."  
"No!" Hellboy protested from the box, "No! LEAVE HER ALONE! LEAVE HER ALONE!"  
"Silence!"  
The chains around his wrist tightened again as Hellboy tried squirming out of them, "I'll kill you if you put a hand on her! I will!"

But vengeance was hers. As Gavril picked her up, Alice grabbed him twisting his arm and placing her fingers into his neck. He let out a scream of pain as Alice pressed her fingers into his neck, "I will rip out his jugular—I swear I will."  
"_Go ahead and do it._" Petru said in Romanian.  
"_Petru! No!_"  
"_So you don't care about your own kind? You don't care if I kill him?"  
"He is just another sacrifice for the Black Hand. He has served us well."  
"You're a monster."  
"You're an exile, Virtus."  
"Don't call me by that name."  
"Why not? I know what happened between you and Mars."  
"Stop it."  
"Kill him."  
"Let my friend in the box go."_ Alice demanded.  
_"Why should I?_"  
_"This doesn't include him."_ Alice said with angry tears pouring down her face. Her teeth were clenched even though a bullet had just went through the left side of her mouth, _"He isn't apart of this."_  
_"But he is here and he is following you, right?"_ Petru asked, _"He has the stone. He is all I want."_  
"No he doesn't." Alice shouted in English.  
Hellboy now knew what they were talking about and shouted, "Alice no!"

"Then who does?" Petru asked.  
"If I tell you where it is… will you let him go?"  
"How do I know you are speaking the truth?"  
"The second coded paper you had… it only spoke of Sweeney finding the stone and his personal examinations of it… it did not tell you where it was."  
Petru tried to keep his face blank but his soulless eyes said it all. Alice chuckled knowing she had the upper ground, "Am I right?"  
"Perhaps."

"Well the first coded paper—the one my friend beat you too… it had all the answers—it told me where the stone is."  
Petru stared into Alice's eyes and saw she spoke the truth. He became a little disgruntled at the current situation, "Well tell me!"  
"Let my friend go!" Alice shouted, "And don't you dare try and hurt him when he is released."  
Petru frowned and nodded. He turned his head towards the overturned trailer and gave a small nod

Hellboy felt the chains around his body loosen up as he took a deep breathe, tearing the wooden box apart as he came out of it.  
"Well I have let your friend go now tell me."  
"Hellboy come here." Alice ordered. Hellboy jumped out of the trailer rubbing his sore muscles.

Gavril was a short muscular man with the Black Hand tattoo tattooed above his right ear.  
Petru was slim and pale and had an aura around him that was pure evil. Hellboy jeered at him, "Where's my gun?"  
"In the front seat with the rest of your belongings Red Monkey."  
"Hey I—"  
"Get the stuff Hellboy we don't have all day!" Alice barked.

Hellboy retrieved all his items after he found them scrambled about in the overturned 18 wheeler. He returned to see Alice and Petru in a stare off.  
Alice had a bullet hole in her left cheek, jaw, and right shoulder. Hellboy winced seeing her; she had to be in some kind of pain.  
"Give your gun to Hellboy." Alice ordered Petru. He handed him the gun and Hellboy took his spot standing next to Alice with folded arms.  
"Now tell me… where is the stone?"

"I say we kill him now and let the corrupt authorities cover his murder."  
"No. I'm going to tell him." Alice hissed, "And I want him to go back to his little Black Hand buddies and give them this message. Tell your leader—whoever he may be—that I'm sick of running. The next time we meet will our last and the Black Hand shall fall and be no more. Tell him he will die at my hands and that I'm not afraid anymore."  
"Not afraid…"  
"I'm not afraid." Alice repeated.

She pushed Gavril down into the dirt and began to search Hellboy's waist belt for a grenade. She ripped the ring out of it and threw it into the trailer.  
"What the hell!" Hellboy screamed running. Alice, Gavril and Petru did too and ten seconds later the 18 wheeler exploded.  
Petru and Gavril fell over into the dirt as debris flew into the air.  
"See you in Russia." Alice shouted as she and Hellboy disappeared into the night.

* * *

**Author Notes:** The grenade part... was not my idea. This is what happens when you let tipsy college kids help you write while watching Transformers. Sigh... read, enjoy and review.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

* * *

His voice roared like the thunderous skies on which his father sat and ridiculed him. The echoes came crashing into her body as he shouted; she beweeping her fallen son; her favorite son. Oh how Remus had fallen from that wall—a great fall with incurable wounds. His body hit the ground like a rag doll; the blood seeped into the crevices of the valley, into the River Acheron where a pessimistic Charon waited to help crossover his soul. How Virtus's voice screamed in anguish and dismay; a sound of pure horror as she watched her two sons fight and one commit an unforgiving crime. Murder. She could feel him—feel Remus gone and yet, he would not allow her to leave their palace—he had closed the skies.

Mars would force her to watch this sinful deed.

"Betrayal of his own brother," Mars's voice boomed with such disgust and sorrow, "My children—my own two sons."  
"You bastard!" She cried, on her knees in such pain, holding her womb where she once felt him kick, "You killed my child!"  
"I did no such thing you witch!" Mars spoke coldly. She dared not look upon his face; upon his handsome features that once looked at her with love. No it was not love… it was lust.

"You planned for Remus to take over our new land! Romulus is my son! He is the one I called to lead our people—you deceived me and placed the crown upon Remus's foolish head and now, he is dead because he was not the chosen son! He was made of mortal flesh! Romulus shall serve as the Roman king!"  
"You devil! You demon!" Virtus screamed throwing herself on him. She clawed at his chest, swung at his face in a mad rage, unable to open her eyes and see he no longer loved her, he no longer wanted her—he pitied her deity form. He did not move or flinch, but grabbed her wrist and with his other hand struck her down.

Her body was struck still; she could not move as tears poured out of her eyes. Tears of hate.  
"You killed my son!" She whimpered, "You killed my Remus…"  
she felt the warm blood seeping out of her nose into her golden locks and saw his face distorted into a disgusted expression.  
"You are no God you contemptible deity! Escaping the wrath of Apollo because of your deceitful beauty—but I see what you are; A traitorous, jezebel wretch. You used me—seduced me to get into the highest of heavens. You make me sick—a God does not bleed!"  
He grabbed her by her clothing and felt them come unloose. She was exposed but could not move as Mars held her up to his face so she could look into his eyes. She cried harder, not for mercy or because of the punishments she imagined her heartless husband could do to her.

"I chose you as my wife—to make a people that were strong so we could outlive when the time comes that we shall lie in the valleys of Rome asleep." He hissed, "But you—you gave birth to twins… one born as a god—your womb danced with happiness. Romulus was destined to be a king," Mars growled, "and the other—Remus— dormant and immovable; surely he had to be a curse from my jealous sister, Diana, and you chose him. Why? Why?"  
Virtus tears drenched her cheeks, "Because… he was my son. He had a heart… he has a soul. He is not the heartless monster like Romulus. He had a soul."

Mars shook with anger at her words and she screamed in pain feeling his grip tighten. He stared at her with such intensity she felt her head boiling. But she took it; unwilling to beg for mercy like he desired she would. She was not weak; she was not one of his harlot nymphs afraid of his merciless power. Death would come to him one day even if it was not the same like a mortal's passing. One day Olympus would be barren, empty and dead. No God would live there but she would live, she would live forever in the blood of her people whether it be through the seedlings of Romulus or Remus because they were not Mars's children. They were _his_ children, the God she truly loved. Jupiter.

And Mars saw all of this through her tears. She had never truly loved him because she saw his ruthless nature of lust, wars and infidelity. And he had known he could never truly love her because of his nature because the cosmos had created him this way but his dear father, Jupiter, the ruler of the Gods, a being of true passion had touched her womb and now he started a new race of people—the Romans, who would be victorious in the centuries to come, and he could not understand it all and it made him angrier and confused and hurt and WHERE IN HADES was his sword for this adulterous bitch had to die. And if she could not die at the hands of a God then she would suffer the worst torture he could possibly think of.

At the thought of his sword, that whorish goddess, Bellona appeared upon her majestic chariot, wielding her commander's heavenly weapon. Virtus's shot daggers into her chest with her eyes as the goddess stepped back waiting to watch sweet revenge upon this deity she so conspicuously envied. Mars threw her to the floor and held up his sword. A clean stab into her chest and maybe a couple more because he needed to vent and regain his honor—he needed to hear her scream so he could feel empowered again.

But as he raised his sword, Bellona placed her hand on her beloved commander's shoulder.  
"Mars," She cooed (_how dare she call her commander by his first name_), "Let her suffer upon earth. Let her reap what she has sown."  
He looked at her over his shoulder— irritated he had been interrupted but they shared a moment of brilliance and understanding.

"Ah." He said bringing his arms to a rest. He turned his head, a mad grin growing across his face.  
"That is a perfect plan Bellona, my love." He said taking her hand as the goddess threw her head back in lust. _Such a fool_, Virtus thought, _falling for a God who could not love her fully_.

"Since you have betrayed me Virtus, I shall throw you to the earth where you will live until it has destroyed itself. You shall live centuries in unhappiness and we shall watch you struggle but you shall not remember the glories of the heavens but you will know how it feels and you will yearn for it, unable to grasp it again and it will send you into madness."  
Mars grabbed for again but she was quicker, scurrying away from him into the palace. She had a ten second head start and heard him call for his minions to catch her and hold her down as she readied himself to throw her to the earth.  
"Jupiter! Jupiter!" she screamed in the palace, her cries echoing into the skies of Olympus. Surely he could hear her; surely he felt this disturbance in the heavens.

"Save me, love! Save me!" She cried louder as she heard the thunderous sound of a thousand fold army behind her.

"Jupiter! Save me!" she cried louder unable to go on. They were behind her… there was no where to run. The skies of Olympus were dark and grey—thunder crashed around her as the temple where her lover sat darkened in the horizon. He had abandoned her. He no longer had any concern.

She fell to her knees again.

A lost deity of a defeated people, heartbroken and frail. Found on the River Tiberius by Apollo and cared for by a heartless Mars who lusted after her body. But, she had found comfort in the arms of his father—a strong being who promised her the world—a people named the Romans who would always carry the blood of her vanished people and the blood of a king god that they'd always be connected too. And now… as Mars's army dragged her to his feet she felt disconnected from it all.

Perhaps being hurled to the earth would do her some good—to forget all of this. To forget the heartache, pain and grief of watching her favorite son be killed by his greedy brother. Oh what a world it would be, she thought, where I do not remember it all.

And with that she closed her eyes, and felt Mars's tight grip around her throat. Then the golden floors of her palace in the heavens disappeared from under her feet and she was falling from the heavens far down towards the earth.

Where she would land she did not know.

* * *

"_Meus diligo! Operor non relinquo mihi!_" Alice screamed launching forward with her arms flailing but was yanked back by the seatbelt holding her in. Hellboy and Moisey looked in the backseat of the car with puzzled expressions.  
"Did you just speak Latin?" Hellboy asked.  
Alice's breathing was erratic and so was her heartbeat. She felt sweat pouring down her face even as the Russian arctic wore against them knowing its foreign visitors were not accustomed to such bitter cold.

Alice did not respond but her eyes were round and her pupils dilated. Moisey's eyes had returned to the road but Hellboy was concerned seeing the state she was in.  
"Hey. Hey!" he said snapping his hand.  
Alice blinked feeling her chest cave in as she closed her eyes now shivering in the cold.  
"Alice…" Hellboy called but she didn't respond.  
He turned around, disgruntled devoid of an answer. She had been acting weird all day.

Alice opened her eyes to see hands were cracked and dry. She reached into her jacket pocket, sliding on a second pair of mittens to keep the Moscow cold from chipping away at her skin as Hellboy readjusted himself, wiggling in the passenger's seat trying to get his tail from under his ass. The city lights around them rippled to life as the sun descended behind the _Moskva River_ creating a wave of purple and orange glows into the cloudy darkening sky.

It was seventeen minutes after six as Moisey, their Russian connoisseur, switched into the left lane as traffic slowed to a complete stop.  
Hellboy let out an impatient grunt as Moisey chuckled to ease the tension, "I am sorry Mr. Hellboy but Moscow is a very busy city during the evening time. Everybody is trying to get home or ready for the night life."  
"Yeah I know." Hellboy said but it didn't ease his edginess. His tail was throbbing at the base where it connected to his lower back plus he, Moisey and Alice were crammed into a small rounded car that made him feel uncomfortable. His head was scrapping against the carpeted roof and his hooves were pressing into the bottom of the car so hard that if he sneezed he felt he might tear through and feel pavement. The car was so fragile and it was holding his big ass. He only hoped nothing weird would happen or that they'd be attacked because the car would be the first to go.

Alice, now easing out of her scare, was growing more impatient also but as a woman she had a better way of hiding it. Her only worry at the moment was that Moisey's car had a horrible heating system. She couldn't feel anything from the front and the backseat had no vents. She wanted to complain but she knew it wouldn't help to nag. She wrapped the tawny scarf around her mouth and nose to keep them warm as the cars in front of them inched forward slowly. Thirty minutes later Moisey exited and followed the signs to their destination.

Neither Hellboy nor Alice could read or speak Russian and though Moisey was a nerdy short American guy who majored in political studies, he had lived in Russia over three years speaking and reading the language like it was his native tongue and they were thankful to have him.

They had escaped the fight in South America by running down the highway. After Alice blew up the 18 wheeler they just ran glancing only once to see Gavril and Petru standing like statues unsure what to do next.

They found themselves in a small town where Hellboy made a call and got them a flight out of Argentina to California to Moscow, Russia. Now, they were travelling on a whim and in anticipating a sudden attack from the enemy.  
Alice knew very well that Petru would find them soon; if he had a strand of her hair left then he knew where they were. This made her uneasy but not afraid. She knew their final showdown would be here in Russia and she also knew they were following her but it wasn't as obvious as last time.

Whispers in the shadows of Old Russia; the walls, and buildings, the concrete that had been here since the early 1900's that they passed whispered to her.

"_They follow you Alease. Won't you stop their cat and mouse game and fight?"  
"Fight them Alease, for you are the exiled one… you have the power."  
"Fight! Fight!"  
"The Baba Yaga counts spoons in the home of Dimah Chaikovskaya tonight. She says he has nine spoons and many more but—"_

"_Fight them! Stop them!"  
"They will do horrible things with that stone!"  
"Nine spoons and many more! Shall we join her at her chicken leg house?"  
_Alice covered her ears wincing as the several voices in her head continued to chatter nonsense. Hellboy looked in the rearview mirror, "You okay?"  
"Quiet! I am listening no more!"  
Hellboy nodded as Moisey raised his eyebrows but didn't ask any questions. Hellboy instinctively turned on the radio; a techno song came on and he didn't mind the annoying repetitious beat at all—as long as those voices stopped.

Alice eased her hands away from her ears and closed her eyes sighing. Hellboy studied her in the rearview mirror. She wouldn't look up to give him a sign she was okay but he knew if those creeps were close Alice would make it known.

Finally, Moisey turned into a company building parking lot which was empty of cars. Moisey parked in the garage on the fourth floor which was empty as well and carried that creepy vibe that something was about to go down.  
"We are here!" Moisey announced as the engine died; he grinned when he turned around to look at Alice. She didn't smile but glared, Moisey turned back around startled and addressed Hellboy, "I hope I helped."  
"You did as much as you could Moisey. Thanks for letting us crash at your place."  
"I know it was small but you are always welcomed to my home." Moisey said.  
_Small? Small!? _Alice thought, _Small is an overstatement._

"Thanks Moisey but I don't think I'll be back in Russia for awhile."  
"That's fine! Oh, and tell Professor Bruttenholm I'm looking forward to his lecture at Harvard in September."  
"You and every other paranormal freak." Hellboy said jokingly as Moisey laughed.

"Right." Moisey said getting out the car. "Let me get your luggage."

He got out the car to go open the trunk. As he did, Alice glanced out the window looking for anything suspicious in her view.

"You okay?" Hellboy whispered.  
Alice didn't look up, "I heard voices."  
"Me too." Hellboy said, "Old Russia… this place is filled with mythological beings and unsettled ghost."  
"Did you hear what I heard?"  
"They're warning us about the Black Hand."  
"Did you hear the one about the spoons?"  
"No. No I didn't." Hellboy said leaning back in his seat.

Alice grinned as Moisey opened the door for her.  
Moisey led them through the office building to the room where they'd meet the Professor.

When they arrived on their floor Hellboy turned to Moisey, "Thanks again kid."  
"Oh no problem." Moisey said a bit stunned as he checked the piece of paper that had led them to this particular room.

"Sorry you can't come with us in here—it's for the best." Hellboy said, "But just know you really helped us out I mean—_really_."

Moisey nodded as Hellboy placed his right hand on the guy's shoulder. Moisey flushed with excitement as Hellboy spoke, "Now what we need you to do is get the hell out of this building, safely. You're at a big risk being with us and I don't wanna sound like some jerk who just used you to get what he needs and put you in harm's way but yeah—I did."  
Moisey shook his head '_no'_, with a sparkle in his eye, "Oh no Hellboy it was all my pleasure. If you ever need me again—"  
"Trust me. We won't. Now go home, stay there and don't come out till the morning."  
Moisey nodded a yes and left them standing at the door enthralled by the idea that he may be in danger and Hellboy was warning him.

Alice watched him walk away and waited until they heard the elevator buzz before she spoke, "Weird kid."  
"I know." Hellboy said, "He's obsessed with the Bureau. He's met the professor a million times and goes to all his seminars and lectures when ever the professor has one. I didn't tell him that the old man's the one who we're meeting—he might've shitted rainbows."  
Alice's distant demeanor cracked some as she grinned. He saw the creases unthaw on her face, "Well you ready to go in?"  
"Are you?" Hellboy asked, "You haven't seen this person in over 40 years."  
"I bet he hasn't aged a bit." Alice joked.

And later, she wished she hadn't said that.  
When they entered the office building it was just a single floor with dozens of cubicles and computers. Every monitor was left on with their perfunctory buzzing to keep the dead silence at bay. The office lights were off except for one cubicle in the middle of the room where a desk lamp was on and the slim shadow of Professor Bruttenholm moved on the ceiling.

Professor Bruttenholm was the exact mere size of his skinny frail shadow—an old pale British man sitting in the spiny chair of a tax collector, reading the numbers off the papers left on some bloke's unorganized desk.

He didn't hear them come in and didn't notice when they were standing in front of him which gave Alice a chance to regain her posture when she saw him. The short, young, brown hair bookworm she had met all those years ago was an old man. A really old man.

Professor broom had white hair, liver spots, and wore his pants up high like every old timer. His glasses were thick and so was his mustache which looked a bit unkempt since his arrival in Russia.  
It frightened Alice to see him because she knew… she knew where he would be one day soon. In a box in the ground six feet under. Maybe not today or tomorrow… but there was no real future for the elderly man pushing 90.

Their last conversation replayed in her head and she could see him clearly in that bloody kitchen at the Plaza in 1951.

"_I can't marry this man! He's a mortal and you what mortals do Trevor."  
"We grow old, we grow sick. We die."_

Alice gasped which drew the attention of the old man. He looked at Hellboy first then saw her.  
"Ah ha." He said charmingly flashing an amiable smile Alice's way. He stood up slowly but moved with a speed which did not fit his aged physique.

Holding his arms out, Alice hugged him, careful not to squeeze to tight. Professor Bruttenholm held on slightly rocking and released her still smiling.  
"You don't look a day over 30."  
"You don't look…old." Alice mumbled, unsure how to respond.  
Professor Bruttenholm laughed patting her hand, "My dear I understand. It's not everyday you get to see your friends look their age and you don't."  
Hellboy chuckled as the Professor finished his laugh and coughed a bit in his handkerchief.  
"How was your flight, sir?" Hellboy asked.

The Professor nodded, "Right." And sat back down in his seat, "It was a pain in the ass, if you really want to know."  
Alice smirked as Professor Bruttenholm whirled around the spiny chair, "With the Soviet Union and The United States rivalry, it was hell getting in here. They don't welcome most American tourists with some hot coco and a slice of pound cake. I had to book my own hotel once I arrived off the plane and besides that, I was followed there and here by a black car."  
"A black car!" Hellboy said.  
"Yes its right outside, sitting across the street at the deli." Professor Bruttenholm said hitching his finger towards the glass windows. Hellboy proceeded to go and take a look. He returned nodding, "Yep. They're still out there."  
"It's really pathetic they're acting like this. I followed protocol and called in to the highest government official I could get in touch with." Professor Bruttenholm explained, "I told them of the danger and they gave me a haughty laugh and said yes only because I'm so well respected but I never thought—"  
"We're in a Cold War, professor." Hellboy said.  
The professor's mind seemed to wonder as he stared off then nodded, "Of course."  
"I wouldn't be surprised if they had cameras and microphones in here."  
"Of course, of course." Professor Bruttenholm said nonchalantly. Alice looked around as if she could see these cameras and microphones everywhere.  
"There's no reason to be paranoid my dear." Professor Bruttenholm reassured Alice, "You are safe here. The minute you entered this building, you were blessed by a protective charm I learned from a well respected sorceress from Indonesia in 1967. Who ever is tracking you by carrying a lock of your hair can't find you or see you here. You are safe."  
A weight on Alice's heart seemed to be lifted. To know she had a sanctuary, even if it was some crummy office building, put her mind at ease even if it was only for an hour.

"They're called the Black Hand, professor." Hellboy explained, "And they've got some powerful stuff—I witnessed it Brazil."  
Professor Bruttenholm raised his hand lazily, "Yes. Most of these cults do have some powerful magic but at last, they are still human. They have flaws and weaknesses."  
"Trevor," Alice spoke up. Professor Bruttenholm looked at her curiously. This was the first time she had said his name. "They are after the Philosopher's Stone and I know where it is."  
"Do you know where it is?" Professor Bruttenholm asked looking at Hellboy.

He frowned, "No. she won't tell me exactly—"  
"In the Ural Mountains." Alice said, "Sweeney wrote on his papers that he buried them up there on the mountain where Atlas's hand keeps the sky at bay."  
"What?" Hellboy asked.  
Professor Bruttenholm closed his eyes and clasped his hands together to think.  
"Who's Atlas?" Hellboy questioned loudly, "What does _'keeps the sky at bay'_ mean? Is the sky falling."  
"Quiet, Hellboy." Professor Bruttenholm scolded. Hellboy's tail tucked under him as he bowed his head a little in embarrassment. He glanced over at Alice who was watching Professor Bruttenholm.

"Atlas was a Titan who sided with the Titans in the Titanomachy. The Titans lost to the Olympians and as punishment, Zeus sentenced Atlas to stand at the edge of the earth and hold up the sky on his shoulder to keep the two from mixing back into the chaotic world where the Titans once reigned." Professor Bruttenholm explained.  
"But the Atlas Mountains, my dear, rest in Northern Africa. If Sweeney was referring to him, then we are on the wrong continent."  
Hellboy sighed, rubbing the top of his balding head as Alice collected her thoughts and memories on the decoded sheet.  
"No." Alice replied, "It clearly said the Ural Mountains."  
Professor Bruttenholm looked at her skeptically, "are you sure."  
"Yes." Alice said stressing the word, "I know what I read! Sweeney hid them in the Ural Mountains where Atlas's hand keeps the sky at bay!"  
"Perhaps he means where the sky and the earth seem to fuse." Professor Bruttenholm pondered out loud. Hellboy nodded, "Yeah… like a horizon line?"  
"Well there's got to be more than just one spot for tourist where the sky and the earth seem to form into one." Professor Bruttenholm said, "It has to be a flat surface and that could be valleys, steppes, glaciers, rivers…."  
"Oh god, we're never going to find this thing." Hellboy said.  
"Don't say that!" Alice retorted, smacking him on his left arm. Hellboy smiled, pleased with himself but caught the eye of Professor Bruttenholm.

"Well Alice, if the stone's really in the Ural Mountains, we have to think about the climate and geography; the stone could be under 100 feet of snow!" Professor Bruttenholm exclaimed, "Or buried under sliding rocks, carried into a river by melting snow, covered up by mineral deposits in a riverbank or—"  
"Fine!" Alice shouted, "If you don't want to help me find the Philosopher's Stone, Trevor, I will go and look for it myself!"  
With that Alice stormed out of the office, slamming the door.  
Professor Bruttenholm watched her walk away without a word, and then he reached into his pocket and took out his pipe.  
"It's sad to see how restless she is over this stone." Professor Bruttenholm commented, "Why I remember an Alice of fine taste and dignity. The only thing she cares about now is dying."  
Something in Hellboy pinged as the Professor said this.

That was all she was looking for—he had totally forgotten. Not an adventure or to meet her old friends and see the world. Alice was looking to die.  
"And you shouldn't get so attached to her, boy. She's a man eater." Professor Bruttenholm said.  
Hellboy looked at his father and shook his head no, "I'm not attached, sir. I just want to help her."  
"Hellboy I'm no fool—I was in love once." Professor Bruttenholm said. He looked at the door Alice had exited out of longingly, "I once met a woman overseas who destroyed a very priceless statue we found from the Roman times. It had moved once and she was so overwhelmed by this she pulverized it saving hundreds of lives and she came back to the States with me only to be swept away by another man."  
Hellboy had never heard his father talk about a woman like that or himself in his golden days.

"I never stopped loving her though she continues to break my heart…" He mumbled off. The professor shook his head and stared at Hellboy, "Don't play the fool son. She is out for only one thing and when she gets it she will disappear."  
"No she won't." Hellboy said, "I'm going to talk to her about coming back to the Bureau with us and meeting the guys. I think she'd get a kick out of seeing Abe and—"

"Hellboy give it up. You're setting yourself up for heartbreak." Professor Bruttenholm said standing up. He yawned and stretched, apparently tired from his work. He bent down and reached for a suitcase under the desk. He handed it to Hellboy, "I know she doesn't want any military support or backup from the Bureau. This is Alice's last stand Hellboy—hers, not yours. Don't get yourself killed."  
"Yes sir." Hellboy said.  
"As for me—I have a plane to catch in an hour. I'll be back in Connecticut when you decide to come back."  
"Do you need some help getting to the airport—"  
"No my boy I'm just fine." The professor said smiling, "I have been to Russia before and I know where I'm going."  
He took off his glasses to clean them, "In that suitcase you will find two train tickets to West Russia to a small village called Peklo. The village sits at one of the lowest points of the mountains and the village is known for its paranormal sightings such as a yetis and ghost and the occasional naked ghoul so I thought that would be a good place to start looking."  
"Thank you sir."  
"Oh and another thing Hellboy." Professor Bruttenholm said, "There are some files in there about that Virtus woman you asked about over the phone. It's very interesting to read. I hope it helps."

* * *

**Author's Notes: So I am really apologetic about leaving you all hanging for almost three months. It wont happen again. By Wednesday (And i swear this) i will have chapter 7 up and ready. Happy Holidays.**


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